Proving Them Wrong
by GriffinSky
Summary: What are you going to do?" she asked softly. "I'm going to fight back." Percy replied calmly. What Percy was really up to during Deathly Hallows. Teaming up with some unlikely allies, he tries to bring the persecuted to freedom... and stay alive.
1. Management Shift

A/N: This story follows the first six Harry Potter books to the word, and follows the basic plot of Deathly Hallows. However, it adds a unique, very-Percy twist to the final book.

Chapter 1

Percy was sitting in his painfully neat office, furiously scratching away with his quill at the parchment in front of him, composing sentence upon sentence of meaningless bureaucratic blather, all the while trying unsuccessfully to forget about the piece of paper tucked in his top right desk drawer. After several more minutes had ticked themselves away on his  
expensive pocket watch, Percy became aware of the fact that his hands were shaking badly, making his report on Standard Ministry Spending and Research (in relation to issues such  
as quill sharpness, wand flexibility, and yes, damn you Fred and George, cauldron bottom thickness) near illegible.

"For Merlin's sake!" Percy threw down his quill with all his might, sweeping the report off his desk. As he yanked open the top right drawer, Percy found that he couldn't bring himself to care about the ink stains splattered across his desk. Carefully, he removed the paper, laying it out in front of him, feeling his eyes burn at the sight of the familiar immaculate printing and elegant gold trim. Percy swallowed.

The invitation. 'You are invited to the wedding of William Arthur Weasley and Fleur Isabelle Delacour…' He sighed, remembering how happy he had been two weeks ago when Errol had flew (well, _crashed _would probably be a more apt word) into his flat bearing that invitation. It had been a moment of hope, a confirmation that his eldest brother and childhood hero didn't hate his guts like he'd feared and actually wanted him at his wedding… and then Percy had realized that his mum had probably sent it unbeknownst to Bill. Otherwise, it would have come with Ares, his brother's owl. _I'm the last person Bill_ _wants to come to his wedding_, Percy had thought miserably.

His own brother was getting married, and nobody but his bloody mother wanted him there! It just wasn't _fair_! Percy slammed his fist down, and then dropped his head on his arms. His family hated him, and for what? His own pig-headed, prideful nature, that's what! Why had he been so stupid, and then so unable to admit that he was wrong? Percy pounded his head on the desk over and over, groaning loudly. And now he couldn't go back! They'd just slam the door in his face. One moment, his pompous and foolish nature had taken over and he had spewed horrible hateful things. One mistake, and now the whole world hated him. One mistake—

"This was a pretty big mistake, Perce."

Percy shot up so fast that he nearly fell out of his chair, gripping the edge of his desk to keep himself steady. He looked up at the woman leaning on the now-open door of his office, arms folded, face obscured by shadows. "I—I—I'm sorry?" He gasped, convinced that the woman had been somehow reading his mind. _Legilimency! _He thought.

"It's okay. Apology accepted. " the woman moved forward, into the light, a tight smile spreading across her face. Percy relaxed immediately when he recognized Lynn Willow, his best friend—hell, his only friend. She was wearing a pair of Healer scrubs, obviously just off her shift at St. Mungo's. Some of his alarm returned, however, when he saw that her top was stained with blood.

"Oh—hello Lynn." Percy ran a hand through his bright red hair. "Um… what are you talking about?" He asked, dreading the answer. _Merlin, _he prayed, feeling slightly sick, _please let that blood not be my fault. _

"You, ah, messed up, drawing up the Ministry budget for Mungo's? Allotted two hundred and fifty galleons to the hospital, instead of two hundred and fifty _thousand_, like you were supposed to." Lynn sat herself down on his couch, watching him carefully. Percy felt the color momentarily drain from his face, to be abruptly replaced by a radish-red blush.

"I did that? Oh, Merlin, Lynn, I'm so sorry! How could I be so stupid?" Percy vigorously rubbed his face, accidently knocking his glasses off in the process. "You corrected it, didn't you?" He practically begged. "Got the money back, and everything? Wait, what's with the blood?"

"I did, Percy, it's okay, we sorted it out, the blood was just from a routine case, but…" She sighed, and as Percy slipped his glasses back on and adjusted them, he saw that her brilliant green eyes were staring fixedly at him. "It's not like you to make careless mistakes like that." Lynn said quietly, a frown tugging on the corners of her lips. "I'm worried about you."

Percy shook his head, avoiding her piercing gaze. "Don't be, I'm fine. Really!" He added, as Lynn snorted. "I'm just a little over worked, is all, with Scrimgeour dumping all his bureaucratic stuff on me. I can catch up over the weekend; it'll be fine. Everything's… fine." Percy finished lamely, suddenly becoming very interested in the small hairs on his hands.

"Oh, really?" Lynn scoffed. "Then what's this?" She made a grab for the invitation, which was still sitting on his desk. Percy tried to intercept her, but was too slow, his hand whizzing past hers. Lynn stepped back, eyes flickering back and forth as she read the text. Her face hardened slightly. "Percy…are you going to this?" She asked, waving the invitation.

"I…ah… I might," Percy lied.

"I'm not an idiot, Perce, the wedding's today! It started an hour ago! Why aren't you _there_?" Lynn threw the invitation at him, eyes blazing with anger.

"Because nobody wants me there, that's why!" Percy shot back, nails digging into the underside of his desk.

"I think the whole point of an invitation _is_ that you're, you know, _invited_. Am I wrong?"

"My mum just sent that, nobody else wants to see my sorry face, and can you honestly blame them?" Percy leapt to his feet and began to pace furiously behind his desk. He could feel all of his self-hatred rising to the surface, and words began to tumble out of his mouth of their own accord. "I'm a stupid, pompous sycophant! I care about nobody but myself, I'm the living embodiment of selfishness! For Merlin's sake, if I had the choice, I'd never talk to _myself _again! I'm a total basta—"

His rant was abruptly cut off when Lynn slapped him across the face with all the force she could muster. Percy stood there stunned, hand to his cheek, until Lynn shoved him back in his chair, her eyes narrowed. "I'd never let anyone else talk about you like that to my face, what makes you think you're allowed?" she hissed, and Percy blinked.

Lynn backed away with a heavy sigh, running a hand through her long, pale brown hair. "Look, I'm just worried about you all right? I don't mean to be rude, but, Perce, you look like hell. You're thinner than I've ever seen you, you've got these huge, dark circles under your eyes—" Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Lynn cut him off. "I know you think that your glasses cover them up, but they don't. At least not from me. And now you're talking about working over the weekend! For God's sake! You're going to kill yourself if you keep going on like this!"

"You're acting like my mum," Percy mumbled, twisting his hands together.

Lynn let out an unexpected laugh and Percy looked up at the sound, feeling an inexplicable surge of hope. "I don't think that your mum would slap you, Perce." Suddenly, she leaned over his desk, putting her face rather close to his. Percy's heart began to race. "And I can think of a couple other things I might do that your mother would never." For a bizarre (and, Percy was ashamed to admit, not entirely unpleasant) second, Percy thought Lynn was going to kiss him. But she soon pulled back, retreating across the office. "I have to go back to work," she said quickly, looking embarrassed. "Just…see you later, okay?" He nodded and, with a slight smile, Lynn walked out the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearly eleven at night when Percy glanced at his watch through eyes blurry with exhaustion. Deciding that he was too tired to get any more real work done tonight, Percy gathered up his things, stuffed them in his briefcase and hurried out of his office. As he walked down the hall, thoughts of his brother, new sister-in-law and the wedding he'd missed took over his mind. Percy was so preoccupied, in fact, that he was halfway to the lift before he even noticed the commotion that had broken out around him. People were rushing around him, carrying stacks of papers, talking loudly while the sheer amount of memos zooming around above them obscured the ceiling lamps so that the hallway was illuminated by patches of dim, shifting light. A man he didn't recognize gave Percy a strange look. "You still here, boy?" he said, and before Percy could respond he pushed away into the crowd.

"Mr. Weasley!" Percy whirled around as the hand grabbed his shoulder, coming face to face with the office secretary, Macy Turns.

"Y-yes, Macy? What's going on?" he asked, feeling panic rise in his chest.

Her chocolate brown eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "Didn't you hear? Scrimgeour's out!"

"What?"

"Scrimgeour's not the Minister anymore! He's, he's been replaced!" Percy's mouth dropped open in surprise, and then he swung around, heading back towards the Minister's office, Macy scampering after him.

"Was he fired?" He demanded urgently. "That makes no sense… I heard no one alleging incompetence!"

"They, they say he retired, but…" _But you'd have to be a total fool to believe that. _Percy swallowed hard, the harsh reality of what was happening striking him in the face. _The Death Eaters are taking over. _He stopped suddenly, the unidentified man's words coming back to him. His hand shot up, running through his bright red hair. The hair that marked him as a member of a family of blood traitors. _Am I still safe here? _

"Who is replacing him, Macy? Who?"

The young woman gazed up at him fearfully. "Umbridge… she said…she said…"

"Out with it, girl!" Percy snapped, surprising himself and terrifying Macy further.

"Pius Thicknesse!" Macy shrieked.

"Did someone say my name?" The two spun around to face none other than the apparent new Minister of Magic. Thicknesse towered over the both of them (an impressive accomplishment, given Percy's six feet), clad in imposing gold and black robes, eyes glinting almost maliciously out from under an overhanging forehead that would put a Neanderthal to shame. Percy could feel Macy trembling next to him.

"I just heard about the management change, sir." Percy responded stiffly, trying to keep his heartbeat in check. "Congratulations."

Thicknesse nodded approvingly, apparently satisfied with Percy's choice of words. He turned to Macy. "Excuse us, will you?" As Macy shot off down the hall, Thicknesse put his arm around Percy's shoulders, guiding him in the opposite direction. Percy suppressed a shiver. _Could this day get any worse? _He thought miserably, and then a stab of fear shot through his chest. _For all I know he's taking me to his office to kill me! _For a split second, Percy considered throwing off the arm on his shoulder and running for the lift. But he couldn't muster the nerve. _Maybe there's a way I can keep my job. It's well known I'm estranged from my family…_

As they entered the office, Thicknesse gestured to a chair and Percy settled himself in it with all the dignity and calmness he could muster. The new Minister sat opposite him, behind a well-polished desk. "Now Percy," he began, dark eyes trained on the younger man. "Your whole family is at your brother's wedding, correct?" Percy blinked confused. _Why is he asking me that? _He quickly ran through all the possible responses in his head, and how they would reflect on his character in the eyes of the Death Eater controlled Ministry. _He'd want me to be far removed from a family of blood traitors, right?_

"Yes, sir, I believe that's true," he responded, as unemotionally as possible. And that was quite unemotionally.

"And yet you've been working here since seven in the morning." It wasn't really a question, but somehow Percy felt that he needed to answer.

"Well, sir, I've been estranged from the Weasley family as a whole for quite some time. We, ah, have some very differing opinions on certain issues." He ducked his head before lying: "I don't see myself ever going back to them."

"Well then." A smile spread across Thicknesse's face. "I'm happy to inform you that I've decided to keep you on, Percy. You're obviously an excellent man for the job."

"Thank you, sir. I accept, of course." Percy could barely keep the pride out of his voice. _What's wrong with you? _he thought. _He's a Death Eater! Stop reveling in the praise of a Death Eater! _

"Very well, Percy. You may go home now, but I expect you bright and early tomorrow. As you've seen, a management change in a time like this is quite chaotic."

"Of course sir. Good night." Percy turned to leave.

"And Percy? I feel that I should inform you that, here at the Ministry, we take loyalty very seriously. I will be watching you, and if I find that anything you've told me just now is untrue, the consequences will be very severe. Do you understand?"

"Of course, sir." Percy replied in a whisper, finding that his voice was incapable of being any louder. At Thicknesse's nod of dismissal, he rushed out of the Minister's office, closing the door behind him, and practically sprinted back to his own office, carefully avoiding the curious gazes of all his coworkers.

* * *

It was unbelievably late (or early?) and Lynn should have been in bed. But instead she was hurrying through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, exhausted and just off what could only be described as a super mega quadruple shift at St. Mungo's. Reaching the door to Percy's office, she threw it open, and was incredibly irritated, but not thoroughly surprised, to see Percy was still at his desk.

"Percy! You are physically capable of sleep, right, you prat?" She _was_ surprised when Percy didn't snap back at her. Instead, he continued flipping the file on his desk open and closed.

"Did you hear?" he said tonelessly, making Lynn wince and become twice as worried. "Thicknesse is the new Minister." Lynn sighed.

"I did hear. Frankly, I'm surprised you're still working so close to the top, blood traitor family, and all."

"They think I'm benign." Percy whispered, with more bitterness than she thought a person to express. " That I'm not a threat. They think that I'll just blindly follow them."

Lynn took a deep breath, walked over to Percy, sat on his desk and leaned in close to him. "So what are you going to do?" she asked softly, hearing the tremor in her own voice.

Percy looked up at her, the determination in his dark blue eyes making her breath abruptly abandon her. It was the kind of look that moves mountains. "I'm going to prove them wrong." He replied calmly.

A slow smile spread across Lynn's face. She knew Percy would come through. Through all his denial and self-doubt she _knew_ it. "I know what you can do," she whispered. "There's an American woman, she heads a small resistance group in Britain and surrounding countries. She's looking for a spy in the Ministry to help her smuggle muggle-borns out of the country." Lynn glanced over her shoulder, drawing a shaky breath before continuing. "Her name is Audrey. Audrey White."

Please tell me what you think.


	2. Bump in the Night

Disclaimer: Forget to do this last chapter, so here goes… JK Rowling's world, not mine.

A/N: This story occasionally has different points of view, but it is a predominantly Percy story and everything has something to do with what the third Weasley son is up to.

Rating T for bad language.

Chapter 2 

Charlie Weasley had never bitten his nails before this summer, but now it was becoming such a habit that his nails were always chewed down as far as they would go, and painfully so. He pulled on his thick, dragon-skin gloves, trying to dissuade himself.

He was always worrying, about the war, about the country, about his family. The dragon reserve, which had once been a sanctuary away from all the troubles of the outside world, had become his personal hell, just far enough away from the main front of the battle to convince himself he was useless to the Order's effort. He worried about his Dad, caught up in the Death Eater-run Ministry; his Mum, always trying to protect her little babies; Bill, who was already horribly scarred; Ron, running around God knows where with Harry Potter, the most wanted man in Britain; Fred and George, practically begging to get attacked with all those giant signs on their shops; Ginny, in a warped Hogwarts under that greasy-haired git, and Percy… Charlie sighed, momentarily burying his head in his hands. He would never admit it, but he worried about Percy the most of all. His little brother, completely alone with no one to lean on, lost deep among the Death Eaters in the Ministry. He knew that Percy would never ask for help, no matter how much he needed it. Percy has always been that way; in school had always tried to handle bullies by himself, usually ending up bloodied and bruised for all his troubles.

Charlie was jerked out of his thoughts by the loud, screeching sound of one of the reserve dragons crying out. He leapt to his feet, hand flying to his wand. The dragons never made noise like that unless someone walked past their enclosures, and nobody was supposed to be in the field today. Charlie swallowed. It was probably just an employee taking a short-cut to town, but… you can't be too careful, can you? Charlie hurried to the source of the noise, ignoring the threatening growls of the horntail. When he saw a figure standing there, his heart skipped a beat. He raised the wand, creeping closer, ready for a fight.

The person swung around, and Charlie gasped. It was a young woman, but she hardly looked hostile. She was dressed in ragged muggle attire with a cloak pulled over it, dirt smudged on a face with eyes bright with life. Two things shocked him, however. One, the fact that she was holding a sleeping baby horntail to her chest, gazing down at it as thought it were her own child, and two: her hair. _God, that hair…_ Charlie marveled. It was beautiful, long and dark, (quite the contrast to her pale skin) and almost… indecently curly. All of it curled into perfect ringlets. Charlie was so surprised; he reckoned he stood there with his mouth open for a few seconds before finally composing himself enough to ask: "Who are you? What are you doing?"

"Oh," she said, smiling. "I'm a new recruit, just checking out the health of the baby dragon here." American accent, Charlie noted with interest. She shifted the creature in her arms and Charlie winced, fearing the rage of the dragon should it wake, but it slept on.

"Uh… I don't recall anyone new being recruited. In fact, I didn't even know we were looking to hire." Charlie took a step forward.

And the young woman stepped back. "I was, um, transferred from the Australian branch," she said quickly, hugging the dragon tighter.

"That's not what you said before." Charlie raised his wand again, eyes narrowing.

The girl smiled a small but easy-going smile. "Quite the sharp one, aren't you, ginger?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid I must be off. See ya." Before Charlie could even open his mouth, she had whirled around and, baby horntail and all, disapparated.

Charlie stood there, wand hand still extended, unable to process what happened. He suddenly saw a glint in the grass where the girl had been standing, and stooped over to pick it up, raising it to eye-level to examine it. It was a small, metal spider pendant, encrusted with blue, green and white crystals. Flipping the spider over and whipping off the dirt, Charlie read the tiny words engraved on the back.

_Thousands of spider-webs covered in raindrops, swaying, swaying where they are spun. They say it's the breeze, lost under the sun, but it's Freedom's Breath. _

Charlie shook his head, trying to clear it. Why did those words sound so familiar? Like a long forgotten poem or song. _What the hell is going on!? _Charlie slipped the pendant into his pocket, deciding he seriously needed some sleep. After walking back across the enclosure and into the barracks, he settled into bed, placing the spider on his night-side table.

Next morning, Charlie woke up to find the spider pendant was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Percy Weasley groaned loudly, collapsing into bed without even bothering to undress. It had been a week—a _week—_since Thicknesse had taken over as Minister, and still Lynn hadn't gotten back to him about this supposed Audrey White. He knew Lynn was very busy at St. Mungo's but _still, _she couldn't bother to get back to him? And he had checked the Hall of Records, and there was nothing on any 'Audrey White'. How did they know she could be trusted?

Still lying in bed, Percy tugged his dress shoes off and began emptying his cloak-pockets of quills and bits of parchment. As he placed the articles on the floor by his bed, he recognized his notes from today's meeting of the "Muggle-Born Registration Commission". Percy shook his head in disbelief. Could there be anything more disgusting? A Ministry department dedicated to pure bigotry and the eradication of an entire group of wizards and witches. And that _woman_. Umbridge. Percy couldn't believe himself; how had he ever respected that old cow, looked up to her even? The things she was saying about muggle-born people, in that disgustingly treacle voice of hers…

"Um_bitch_," he had heard a member of Magical Maintenance whisper to his friend. Percy had shot them a withering glare (once a prefect, always a prefect) but he was tempted to agree. It was a crude way to put it, but Percy couldn't think of a better way to describe the woman so succinctly. She was quite a, well, you know. Percy stretched out in bed, yawning, and decided that he had shed enough clothes to sleep comfortably.

He was nearly asleep when he felt a hand cover his mouth and heard a husky voice whisper "Hello, Weasley."

A/N: Next one should be up in a couple of days.


	3. Welcome to the Team

Disclaimer: Harry Potter world not mine.

Rated T for bad language.

Chapter 3

Percy's body came alive immediately, every brain cell, every nerve, screaming one thing: fight. His arm shot out, reaching out to blindly grope for his wand, only to have it slip between his fingers and clatter to the floor. "Not so fast," the voice growled, disembodied in the pitch black flat. A pair of hands tightened around his neck, and his own flew there, trying to pull them off. Percy thrashed wildly, rolling off the bed and taking his attacker with him. The latter landed painfully on Percy's chest, knocking the wind out of him. _Get off of me!_ He screamed in his head, unable to verbalize his thoughts.

Percy felt the tip of a wand being driven into his cheek and grabbed the wrist of the hand clutching it, trying to hold it off. He could hardly breathe; the weight on his chest was suffocating him, the wand of the man on top of him edging closer and closer to his face as he struggled and fought.

"AYDEN, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?!?" Percy gasped in relief as the man leapt off his chest, and he scrambled away and pulled himself to his feet. The lights suddenly flickered on, and Percy could barely see the blurry outlines of two people, one standing, the other crumpled on the ground. _Damn my astigmatism! _Percy fumbled his glasses on, snatching his wand from the floor. He whirled around to face the people in his flat.

"Lynn?" Percy panted in disbelief, gazing at his friend where she told, arms crossed, gaze murderous. But her focus was solely on his attacker, the young man on the floor smiling sheepishly.

"Ayden, what the _hell_?" Lynn snarled at the man, who Percy had brilliantly deduced was Ayden.

"I was just vetting him, Lynn!" Ayden said defensively, in an American accent. "Like I always do!"

_What? _"Lynn, what's going on?!" Percy shouted, and both Lynn and Ayden immediately snapped their focus on him. He felt suddenly uncomfortable, but there was no way in hell he was going to show it. "What—is—going—on?" He hissed in his best prefect voice.

"Percy, I'm so sorry!" Lynn said, hurrying over and throwing her arms around him briefly. "I didn't think he'd pull anything like this, not after _he promised he wouldn't!_" She raised her voice on the last few words, turning to face Ayden.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Percy asked, completely befuddled.

"Oh, I—I'm sorry, Percy." She ran a hand through her hair. "This is Ayden—"

"No last names!" cried Ayden theatrically.

"—Carter." Lynn finished, gritting her teeth. "He works with Audrey White, remember, the woman I told you about?"

Percy blinked. So they were finally starting this. But, first things first. "Then why exactly did he break into my flat and attack me in the middle of the night?"

"I do it with all the all new recruits. Determine if they're fighters." Ayden stated importantly, flexing his fingers. Percy glanced at Lynn to confirm, and she gave a slight nod and rolled her green eyes. "And you, my friend, passed with flying colors. I very much approve."

Percy's chest was heaving, pure anger and annoyance that reminded him very much of his days with Fred and George rising inside him. "Oh," he hissed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You _approve_ of me? I'm _so _glad. What_ would_ have I done if the random man who broke into my flat it the middle of the night didn't _approve _of me?"

Lynn gave a small laugh beside him and, to his surprise and increased irritation, so did Ayden. "Ooo, sharp wit. I'm liking you more and more." Ayden tried to stand, only to slip on one of Percy's discarded quills. He collapsed into a heap, looking profoundly confused.

"For Merlin's sake," Percy muttered. He walked over to where Ayden was lying and offered him a hand to pull himself up with.

Ayden stared at the hand for a few seconds before taking it, allowing Percy to heave him up. "Seriously Lynn, where'd you find this guy? He some kind of angel?" Percy let out an exasperated growl.

"I need a drink," Percy grumbled, stumbling into his kitchen. He opened a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of scotch and glass. Lynn and Ayden followed him in.

"Okay, this is getting spooky. You're a drinker, too? Will you marry me?" Ayden sat down at his table, grinning shamelessly.

Lynn, however, didn't seem as amused. "I didn't know you drank, Perce. As I recall, you nearly had a stroke when your brothers snuck fire whiskey into the common room." A tiny frown tugged on the corners of her lips.

"Yeah, well…" _She's worried about me again,_ Percy realized with an inward groan. He hadn't always been a drinker, in fact, until about a year ago the very idea had repulsed him. He remembered how pathetic his uncle Bilius acted when he got drunk, and had never wanted to be that guy. But, with You-Know-Who's return, and work piling up on top of him, papers to sign, meeting to attend, notes to take… well, it was no wonder that so many politicians were drunks. And most of them had families who were actually speaking to them. Percy polished off the glass in a single gulp. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" He asked, annoyed, pouring himself another glass.

"Audrey'll be here in a minute," Lynn said, watching him carefully. "She'll be able to explain better."

"Can you at least give me something, Lynn? I feel like a bloody idiot." Lynn started slightly. Percy never swore unless he really meant it. _That should do it, _Percy thought as Ayden began to wiggle his eyebrows.

"Well… have you ever heard about the Underground Railroad, Perce?" Lynn asked, taking a seat and gesturing for Percy to do so as well. Grabbing his bottle and glass, he obeyed; attempting to ignore the bizarre look Ayden was giving, knowing from experience that the man was just trying to mess with him.

"I believe I have," Percy said thoughtfully, stirring his drink. "Isn't that the string of houses in the States that were used to smuggle slaves out of the south, and to freedom in the mid 1800s?" Lynn blinked in surprise. Ayden gave a low whistle. Percy felt his face heat up, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What? I read books, okay? Lots of books. I—I learn things, all right?"

"Duly noted," said Ayden seriously, and Lynn whacked him on the shoulder.

"Shut up, you prat." She snapped, and suddenly Percy was reminded of home at the Burrow. It was not an entirely unpleasant feeling. Lynn turned back to him. "You okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. "You look funny."

Percy adjusted his glasses. "I'm fine, thank you. Please continue," he said, retreating into stiff formalities, shutting himself off from the world.

Percy should have known better than to try that with Lynn. "Per—cy?" She said in a sing-song voice, leaning forward to look him in the eyes.

"Look, can you just keep going?" Percy mumbled, breaking his eyes away from her gaze. Ayden squirmed a little in his chair, picking at his nails.

"Sure, Perce," Lynn replied. _Again with the worry_, thought Percy. Lynn cleared her throat, raising her voice slightly. "Anyway, the whole idea of the Underground Railroad is what we're trying to replicate here. Only instead of slaves, we have muggle-borns and other people Death Eaters would like to see in Azkaban."

"Thing is, it's not very easy to get to these people, and get them to trust you, once they've been brought to the Ministry," Ayden picked up the dialogue. "Which is where you come in." Percy blinked, trying to process this.

"Hey," a voice said from the hall, causing them all to jump in their seats, hands flying to their wands. "Starting without me?" A young woman stepped into the kitchen. She waving her hand, flashing something that looked like a little metal spider. Lynn and Ayden immediately relaxed. Percy slowly lowered his wand, resting it on the table. He looked up at the woman. The first thing he thought was that she looked like she needed a good shower and change of clothes. Her face was dirty and cut, clothes ripped and torn. Her sleeves had what looked like fresh blood stains on them. The second thing he thought was: how did all these people get into my bloody flat?

"You'd be Audrey White, I presume?" Percy looked gazes with her, staring into her hazel eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking, get a read on this woman.

"You'd be right, _Percy_. I'm excited to see you. I've heard a lot of things about you." She walked over to them, standing by the table. She suddenly burst out: "Oh, is that scotch?" Audrey grabbed the glass, bringing it to her lips and taking a hefty swig. Percy blinked. He'd never seen a woman drink Scotch like that. _Of course, she is an American_, he thought, trying to suppress a smile.

"There are more glasses in the cupboard, help yourself." Percy said, gently pulling the glass back to him as she set it down. He pointed his wand at it, and several ice cubes formed on the bottom.

"A true gentleman," Audrey quipped with a wink, taking another glass from indicated cupboard. She placed it on the table, but didn't pour herself any more scotch.

"Do you want me to get you a chair?" Percy asked, remembering his manners.

Audrey shook her head. "Nah, I like to pace." She proceeded to do so. "So, I see that Lynn and Ayden have filled you in on the operation?"

"To some extent. I get the general idea. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing."

"Well, you see…" Audrey broke off suddenly, brow furrowing as he stared at Percy.

"Er…what?" Percy turned his glass over in his hands, listening to the _chink_ of the ice.

"Nothing… just the fire on your head." Audrey smiled at his confused look. "Nice hair."

"Same to you," he said, with a slight smile back. It was true; Audrey had the curliest hair he had ever seen, even curlier than Penelope Clearwater's. It was quite pretty.

Ayden cleared his throat loudly. "Um… should we leave you two alone together?" His lips were twitching.

Percy felt his face go scarlet, but Audrey just smiled wider, flicking back a ringlet of hair. "That won't be necessary." She said sweetly. "But I appreciate it." And then she was all business again. "What will you do? You'll find the muggle-borns when they're brought to the Ministry, get them to where we can find them and the rest of my team—there are more than Ayden, Lynn and me—will take over and bring them to safety, via our stations."

"And how will I do this?"

"We'll go over that some other time. At a more reasonable hour." Audrey glanced at the clock, which read 2:30. "I hope you function well on a small amount of sleep, Percy."

Percy allowed a smile itself on his lips. "Of course. I am a politician, after all."

There was a collective chuckle around the table. Percy blinked in surprise. He'd never been _funny_ before.

"Anyway," continued Audrey, resuming her pacing with renewed vigor. "As I'm sure you know, Umbridge won't be bringing in any muggle-borns for hearing for a few weeks, until she can gather sufficient _evidence, _the old cow." She glanced at Percy for confirmation, and he nodded.

"So, what will I be doing until then?" Percy inquired, adjusting his glasses. He felt Lynn shift beside him.

"Trying not to get caught. It's_ imperative,_" she tapped the table, "that no one suspects you. In fact, it's the only way this will ever work. The reason I agreed to bring into our confidence at Lynn's request, after everything you've done, is because you're the one person the Death Eaters would never think of. Now Percy, I need you to answer one question for me." Audrey leaned in close to him, eyes locked on his. "Do you believe you can do this? Free these people, and not get caught? Do you believe you're skilled enough, brave enough?"

Percy felt his brain leap into action, trying to come up with some clever witticism. None came to mind, so he decided the only thing to do was to tell the truth. "I really believe so," he said slowly, his eyes not once leaving her hazel ones. "I really do. I _need_ to. And that wasn't one question," he added as an afterthought.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, Percy's heart beating so loud he was sure she could hear it, until finally Audrey smiled and straightened up. "You seem like a very honest person, Percy. We're gonna have to change that." She turned around so that her back was to him. "Can you perform Occlumency, Percy?"

"I—a little." Percy responded. It was true; he had studied the subject independently in 7th year, and had gotten quite good. Of course… that was four years ago. "I might be a bit rusty, though."

"We'll see. Ayden, do your thing."

Before Percy could inquire as to what Ayden's so-called "thing" was, the other man had grabbed his chin and yanked his head around, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Legilimens," he heard Ayden whisper, and before he could collect the power to resist the room before his eyes began to blur and disappear. Memories were being tugged to the front of his mind against his will; Fred and George throwing bewitched snowballs at him in front of the Burrow; Ginny, crawling into his lap after having a nightmare; Penelope Clearwater pressing her soft lips against his in the library; he and his father, shouting at each other across the dinner table.

No. Ayden wasn't going to see that. _No_. Percy summoned all his will and, with one forceful wall conjured in his head he forced Ayden out.

Percy blinked rapidly, the room coming back into focus. He could see Ayden, across the table from him, doing the same. Lynn was glancing worriedly between them. Percy righted his glasses. "Apparently I haven't lost my touch."

"No kidding." Ayden was rubbing circles on his forehead. "He's good, Audrey. Really good. Shoved me out of there so quick I didn't have time to fight."

"Good, good, I'm glad to hear it." Audrey poured herself a glass of scotch and took a small sip. "However, being able to block an amateur"— Ayden made a noise of protest—"won't be enough. I heard that the Ministry has hired Randolph Havens."

There was silence in the room as the name resonated. "You know who that is, right Percy?" Audrey asked him.

Percy nodded, his mouth dry. Randolph Havens was one of the foremost Legilimens in the world. "So… they're using him to check the minds of the employees for thoughts against the Ministry." Audrey nodded. "This could be really bad," Percy mumbled. "I can do some Occlumency, but a surprise check by one of greatest Legilimens in the world?" Percy shook his head.

"You don't have to force him out completely," Lynn spoke up. "Just keep him away from any mutinous thoughts about the Ministry. And…" Lynn looked uncomfortable. "And from any loving thoughts about your family.

Absolute silence. _Don't think about them, _Percy told himself. _Don't think about them, don't think about them. _

"Anyway," continued Audrey awkwardly. "Don't worry about that yet. Havens won't be here for about a week. And we'll be doing everything we can do, uh, _delay_ him. Meanwhile, I'm going to try to think of some undetectable magical shield you can put up to subdue him."

Percy swallowed. "And until then?"

Audrey cracked a tiny half-smile. "And until then, we'll be in touch." She picked up a handkerchief off the table, and using that, pulled a small item out her pocket, being careful not to touch it. "Hold out your hand." Audrey ordered. Hesitantly, Percy did so. She dropped the item in his hand.

"Ack!" It began to burn in his hand, painfully so. Percy moved to drop it, but Lynn quickly put her hand over his, stopping him. Slowly, it cooled, and she pulled her hand back, leaving Percy to inspect the strange article.

It was an owl, a little, meticulously cast, perfectly colored metal owl, surrounded by a nighttime sky and a few stars. On the top of it was a clip of sorts, as if it was supposed to be attached to a person's clothes.

"Flip it over," urged Audrey. Percy did so, seeing small words engraved in the metal. Squinting, he read them.

_When the owl cries out in the night…_

Percy looked up, confused. "What…?"

"We all have one." Audrey held out the metal spider she had flashed earlier. Lynn unclipped a little blue wave, outlined in gold, pendant from the front of her robes, offering it to him to inspect. Ayden pulled a golden chain out from under his shirt, revealing a silver moon hooked onto it. "They all have words on them," explained Audrey. "They'll disintegrate, temporarily, if touched by the bare skin of someone other than their original owners. They're near impossible to replicate, or to make a believable fake one. It's a way of identifying members of our team, who we can trust." Percy nodded slowly; it seemed a much better method then Dark Marks. He was just about to ask what kind of charm had been placed on them to make them operate so, when he caught sight of the inscription of Lynn's wave pendant.

…_and the waves pound the shore. _ Percy blinked. _When the owl cries out in the night and the waves pound the shore. _Why did that sound so… familiar?

"You okay?" Lynn was watching him.

"The words… the inscriptions… where do you get them from?" Percy asked urgently.

Lynn smiled a soft, sad smile. "They're from an old poem, called 'Freedom's Breath?' I guess you've heard it before, then."

"I have," replied Percy slowly, rolling the metal owl between his long fingers. From where, though? _I must have been pretty young…_ Audrey pulled something else out of her pocket, this time without the handkerchief. It was a strange black rectangle, rounded around the edges and very thin. "What is this?"

"It's called a 'cell phone'. I'm half-blood, you see, but I was raised by a muggle." Audrey explained. "Do you know how to use one?"

"I recall…some things from Muggle Studies." Percy snapped the phone opened, pressing the first speed dial button. He jumped slightly as he heard a harsh ringing in his kitchen.

"I'm one," Audrey said, pulling out her own phone and terminating the call. "Ayden's two, Lynn's three. Contact us if you're in trouble. You see, cell phones are one form of communication we know the Death Eaters aren't monitoring."

Percy nodded. "Makes sense." In fact, it was nothing short of genius. He slipped the phone into his pocket. The room fell into silence for a few minutes. Slowly, Percy picked the owl off the table and clipped it to his shirt.

Audrey smiled crookedly. "Welcome to the team."


	4. Round One Goes to the Dragon

Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Rating T for language.

Chapter 4

Percy carefully folded the memo (containing the latest information on exactly why so many offices appeared to be raining), tapped it and watched with a frown as it zoomed out of the room. He sighed. He wasn't very fond of the new owl-free interdepartmental communication system. He rather liked having Hermes in the office with him, and knew that the bird hated not being able to deliver any of Percy's work mail. It left him with very little to do.

Percy checked his watch for the umpteenth time that morning, feeling a thrill of anticipation as he saw the time. 10:30. He licked his lips, suddenly finding his mouth quite dry. It was now time for him to officially start work for the Underground Wizard Railroad (as it was so fondly called by Audrey and Ayden), now time for him to break the law and risk life in Azkaban… or death. Percy honestly wasn't sure which he would prefer.

He swept several papers off of his desk and hurried out of his office and down the hall, running over the procedure in his head. _Okay, go down to the bottom floor, by the department of Mysteries. Don't attract attention. Umbridge will be interrogating muggle-borns there with one other witch or wizard, most likely someone from Traver's team. I'll have to Confund them, and then perform rudimentary memory charms. Get the muggle-borns out of the interrogation room, somewhere where they can disapparate from. Contact Audrey with the 'cellular phone'. She'll take it from there. Do this all under ten minutes and get back to my normal routine. Be sure to be seen right after, by someone of means to throw off suspicion. Thicknesse, if possible. _

Percy strode off down the hall and buried his nose in his papers, pretending to be engrossed and thus seem nonchalant. He heard the lift doors clang open and hurried inside, still putting up a masquerade of reading.

He felt a strange tension in the room, and glanced up, looking at the other occupants of the lift. Runcorn, Percy noted with distaste, before focusing on the face of the other man… and immediately snapping his gaze on his notes again. He felt his face begin the burn with embarrassment. His father. _He was standing in a lift with his father_! They were both occupying the same few meters of space. So close they could be touching. Percy could see the way his father's jaw was set, muscles stiff and unmoving. All the indicators of a very angry person. _Oh, Merlin…_

As soon as the doors clanged open again, Percy fled the lift. He swung around and stabbed the button on another lift, very aware of the time he had lost with that little stunt. _Hurry up, hurry up…_ The doors opened again and, just before leaping inside, Percy remembered he had to appear calm. Quickly collecting himself, Percy strode inside, checking his watch and stuffing his papers in his pocket. He had a bit over eight minutes left.

And it was down to seven by the time he hurried down the hall down past the Department of Mysteries. Percy shivered, remembering the events that had taken place beyond that door only two years ago. You-Know-Who, back from the dead. Ron and Ginny nearly killed on Dumbledore's watch.

Percy froze, hearing voices screaming desperately and sobbing. Coldness began to grip his chest, a feeling he remembered well from his seventh year. _Dementors._ Percy glanced up, seeing the tall, black-hooded figures gliding around the hallway. The hopelessness he had been feeling for months was rising to the surface…

_No. You're doing something, fighting back. Fight now! _Quickly, he cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself, becoming invisible. He hurried past the groups of muggle-borns huddled on wooden benches, and approached the door to the courtroom.

Only to have it swing open, and a bright silver object burst forth. Percy leapt to the side, pressing his back against the wall, trying to avoid detection. He watched as two Patronuses glided around the waiting room, sending the Dementors into the shadows. Following them were Runcorn and Mafalda Hopkirk. Umbridge was nowhere in sight. _What…? _

"It's been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families," Runcorn stated, much to the confusion of the muggle-borns and Percy. "Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That's the—er—new official position. Now if you'll just follow the Patronuses, you'll be able to leave from the Atrium."

Percy jaw dropped, and he nearly overbalanced. _What? Runcorn, notorious muggle-born hater, telling them all to run? This makes no sense…_

And then Percy looked at one of the Patronuses, really looked at it, and felt a chill run down his spine. It was a stag, unmistakably, it was a stag. Percy closed his eyes momentarily, remembering the hearing he had taken notes on. Harry Potter, on trial for performing underage magic. For casting a Patronus in the shape of a stag. _Merlin. Harry Potter, showing up here? Where he's 'Undesirable Number One'? No one's that stupid… But then again, _Percy thought, a grim smile twisting his lips, _maybe he is. _Percy could well recall all the idiotic stunts Harry had pulled in school, putting himself and Percy's own siblings in danger.

Percy watched silently as Harry and Mafalda—who, at this point, Percy could only assume was Hermione under the effect of Polyjuice Potion—mobilized the muggle-borns and marched them off to the lift, where they could travel to the Atrium and then escape.

_He's doing my job for me, Percy_ realized as he slipped inside one of lifts, still invisible. He couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed.

When the lift doors clanged open and they all spilled out into the Atrium, Percy felt a wave of dread. The huge room was stuffed with witches and wizards, hurrying around the fireplaces, sealing them off. _Oh, no…_

Percy began to thread his way between the muggle-borns, carefully avoiding making physical contact. _They all need to find a working fireplace. Now. _Charming one open, Percy grabbed the shoulder of one of the muggle-borns, hissing: "Get in the fireplace, now! Say 'Audrey White's residence'!" The man whipped around, frightened, looking for who had spoken. "Just go!" Percy said, and watched the man disappear in a shower of green flames. He repeated the same destination to the other muggle-borns, all who seemed too scared to refuse, as they stumbled into the fireplace.

When they had all disappeared to what Percy knew was safety, he looked up, just in time to see Runcorn, Mafalda and what appeared to be one of two present Reginald Cattermoles disapparate. _That must be Ron. _Percy thought, realizing how close he had been to his youngest brother.

Panic was breaking out in the Atrium. Yaxley was bellowing orders to "FIND THEM! SEAL THE FIRES!" Ministry officials, with no idea how to obey but to scared to refuse, ran around in wild circles, shouting and waving their wands.

Percy leapt to his feet and began pushing through the crowd; in all the pandemonium no one noticed they were being jostled aside by an invisible figure. He hurried down the hall and into the washroom. Finding it empty, leaned over one of the sinks and let his Disillusionment Charm fall, panting and trying to get his heart rate under control.

He did it. Not exactly how he had planned it, but _he did it_. Percy joy rising in his chest. He'd fought back, and successfully so. For the first time in what felt like years, Percy let out a genuine, happy laugh.

_Ding, ding!_ Percy turned off the alarm on his watch. _Ten minutes up. Time to go back to work._ Percy burst out of the washroom and sauntered down the hallway, doing his best to look disapproving at all the hubbub. As a balding wizard scurried down the hallway, Percy demanded:

"What in the name of Merlin is going on here?" The wizard's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, apparently unable to speak.

"Ah, Weasley!" Percy turned his gaze to the man who had spoken, finding himself face-to-face with the intimidating form of Pius Thicknesse.

"Yes, sir?" he asked politely, barely suppressing a smug smile as he stared up at the man who believed him to be harmless, the man he has defied. Breaking the rules cam with quite the adrenaline rush.

"There appears to have been a security breach," Thicknesse explained, looking at him with an expression completely free of suspicion. _Fool, _thought Percy happily.

"Where, sir? How may I help?" he asked urgently.

"Walk with me. Forget nothing that happens . Take notes, if you must." Percy immediately pulled out fresh parchment and a quill, following Thicknesse as the Minister swept away down the hall.

Nearly twelve hours later, Percy trudged down into the Atrium. The seals on the fireplaces had been removed and now, late at night, the Atrium was deserted. As he approached one of the fireplaces and picked up a hand full of Floo powder, Percy felt sick. The joy he had felt after helping the muggle-borns had dissipated after hours of rejecting family trees submitted by suspected muggle-borns to prove their blood status, setting good people up for lives in prison. _After a day spent destroying lives,_ Percy thought miserably. He was seriously wondering if staying at the Ministry was worth it.

Percy stepped into the fireplace, dropping the powder and saying in a quiet, clear voice: "Audrey White's residence." The green flames licked up around him, and a second later he was stumbling out onto a blue and silver soot-stained rug in Audrey's flat. "Audrey?" Percy wandered into the kitchen, where a disheveled-looking Audrey White was sitting at a table, eating out of what appeared to a muggle take-out container with chop sticks.

"Hello Percy." She put down her chop sticks, folding her arms on the table and gazing up at him, a sweet smile on her face. Recognizing the seemingly benign face as a sign of danger, Percy braced himself. "May I be so bold as to inquire _why_ about twenty muggle-borns spilled out of my fireplace this morning, when I specifically told you to send them outside St. Peter's Village for pick-up?"

Percy sighed and scratched the back of his head. He started to plunge into a monologue he had been preparing all afternoon. "Well, obviously things didn't go as planned—"

Audrey waved her hand dismissively, cutting him off. "It's okay. Jonathan, one of the muggle-borns, explained. Beaten to the punch, then?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and Percy felt immediately at ease. He sat down across from her at the table. "Anyway, it's okay. You did the right thing, sending them directly here. You weren't seen, right?" Percy nodded, feeling relieved. He had been worried Audrey would be regretting her decision to depend on him.

"Did everything go all right, after that? Are they all on the way to new homes aboard?"

Audrey sighed, hunching her shoulders. She looked very tired and worn out. Old beyond her years. Percy wondered if he looked anywhere as weary as she did. "For the most part, yes. There are some children and spouses that need to be tracked down and reunited, but nothing we can't handle." Audrey smiled tiredly. "Are you hungry, Percy?" She pushed one of her food containers towards him.

"Er…" Percy glanced hesitantly at the brown and white mush inside the container.

"It's chicken and rice, Percy. I promise." Audrey laughed, brushing a curl of hair out of her big hazel eyes. _She's really beautiful when she laughs, _Percy mused, and then blinked in surprise. _Wait, what?_ "It won't kill you, I swear. I've been living off it for months." Audrey added at his silence. "Here I'll grab you a fork." She pushed her chair away from the table, tugged open a drawer and pulled out a fork. She handed it to him.

Percy carefully speared a little piece of meat with the fork and put it in his mouth, acutely aware of Audrey's gaze on his face as he did so. "It's good." Percy said, chewing thoughtfully. "It's _really _good, actually," he added, glancing back up at her with wide eyes. Audrey laughed again. "You really should do that more often," he said, almost to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Audrey sat up a little straighter in her chair.

"Nothing," Percy whispered immediately, averting his gaze and feeling his face warm up considerably. _Why did I say that? Merlin!_

"No, it was something," Audrey said, a mock pout forming on her face. "You're one to talk, anyway. I don't think I've ever seen you laugh."

"I just have very high comedic standards, is all," Percy said, faking a haughty expression. Audrey laughed again, and then they settled into a slightly awkward silence. Percy continued to eat from the container, ears still bright red, eyes focused on the table.

Audrey cleared her throat. "Um… anyway, I've been working on the shield impairing Legilimency. I've come up with a perfect spell, but I've no way to keep it suspended between the eyes of the Legilimens and yours. And without that, it's virtually useless."

Percy dropped his fork abruptly, causing Audrey to jump. "But I've figured it out, Audrey! I've thought of the perfect place to cast the spell." He said excitedly. And it was true. He had been planning to tell her immediately, but with all the uproar at the Ministry he had forgotten. Audrey stared at him, eyes bright with interest. "Last night, I was reading some books, trying to figure out a good way to suspend your spell. I had been working for hours and when I took my glasses off to clean them I realized the answer had been literally right in front of my nose the whole time!"

"What?" Audrey asked, shifting in her chair and blinking.

"My glasses. A completely detectable yet undetectable shield between my eyes and anyone else's. Who would think to remove them? You can just put the spell on my glasses and there! You have the perfect way to protect against intrusive Legilimency! I mean—" Percy broke off, embarrassed, realizing that his voice was practically shaking with excitement, whereas Audrey was just sitting there, face blank. "I'm sorry, I—this stuff just really interests me, is all. You know, solving puzzles and problems and—"

Audrey cut cleanly through his babbling. "That. Is. Brilliant." A huge grin broke out across her face. "Why couldn't I think of that? It's so simple!" Audrey leapt to her feet and, without, further ado, snatched his glasses off his face and dashed out of the room. Percy sat there, blinking stupidly, the world around him profoundly blurry. Shrugging, he attempted to continue eating, very glad he had a fork instead of chop sticks.

Several minutes later, Audrey swept back into the room, handing him his glasses. Percy slipped them back on, feeling their slight warmth and seeing the blue sparks playing around the frames. Frames, he noticed, that were completely intact.

"I was half-expected you to change them to wire-frames or something. That's what Lynn always said she would do if she got her hands on them." Percy commented.

"No, I like the horn-rimmed glasses," Audrey said, sounding very sincere.

Percy snorted. "You'd be the first. I've received nothing but ridicule since the day I chose them."

"Well, that's everyone else's loss, isn't it?" Audrey said, a slight smile pulling on the corners of her lips.

Percy was suddenly very aware that, when Audrey had sat back down at the table, she had chose the seat right next to him. They were very close. Far too close for two business partners discussing operations. Percy could see Audrey's hand moving, sliding across the table, drawing closer and closer to his—

_Crash! _They both leapt to their feet and pulled out there wands at the sound of glass breaking and furniture toppling over. As they hurried into the adjacent room, they heard the sound of a low growl and suddenly Audrey's curtains burst into flames. Percy yelped and fell over as a small, dark figure shot past his feet, running on four legs like an animal. He struggled to stand up.

"Ooooh!" Audrey cried suddenly, shoving her wand back in her pocket, instead grabbing a thick blanket from the overturned sofa. "Titus! Get back here!" Percy watched in amazement as a dragon, a small but very much threatening looking _dragon_ scuttled out from behind the sofa. Audrey immediately flung herself down on top of it, spreading the blanket out between her and the creature. She flipped over into a sitting position, holding the squirming dragon her lap. "Titus, stay still!" she hissed. "Percy, can you put those out?" she asked, pointing at the burning curtains. They were billowing alarming amounts of smoke in the flat.

Unable to speak, Percy raised his wand performed a nonverbal, water-conjuring spell, dousing the curtains. They hung there, tattered and soaking, for a few seconds before dropping to the floor in a pathetic heap. Titus let out a desperate whimper, and smoke curled around his jaws. Audrey quickly covered his head with the blanket.

"Uhh… Audrey? Is that a _dragon_?" he asked slowly, backing away across the destroyed room.

"How'd you know?" Audrey deadpanned, struggling to keep her hold on Titus as he bucked and snarled. "Um, Percy, maybe you should go now. I—I'll explain later."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Percy asked, as he righted a table that Titus had knocked into on his rampage.

"I'm sure!" Audrey yelled, and, sure enough, Titus's struggles appeared to be subsiding. She let out a relieved sigh. "Talk to you later, okay?" She asked pointedly. "I need to deal with this."

"Right. I'll, uh, see you later. G'night." Percy stumbled back to the fireplace, and was scooping up a handful of floo powder when he heard Audrey call out his name. "Yes?"

She lumbered into the room, clutching the dragon. "Come back tomorrow, okay? Titus'll be some place more, er, suitable." She was gazing at him imploringly.

"Uh… sure," Percy responded, his mouth inexplicably becoming very dry again. He was about to add more when Titus suddenly twisted in Audrey's arms, whimpering. She hurried out of the room, murmuring to him in soft tones. Shaking his head in disbelief, Percy flooed back to his own flat and collapsed on his bed.

He rolled over, burying his face in his pillow and groaned. Couldn't that dragon have waited five more minutes before coming out?


	5. Awakenings

Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J. K. Rowling, not me.

Rated T for language.

A/N: This is just a short one. I'm trying out a flashback this chapter. If it goes well, there might be a few more.

Chapter 5

Percy sat by the window, watching as snow slowly drifted down outside, onto the streets of London. Sighing, he took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Percy knew the scenery outside his window was fake, magically generated, but it looked so _real_. He wondered if it was actually snowing.

Percy remembered when he had first started working at the Ministry; he had nearly had a panic attack, what with the long time underground. Heaving another heavy sigh, Percy checked his watch. 6:30. Half an hour until we was to floo to Audrey's flat.

Percy ran his hands through his hair, remembering the last time he had been alone with Audrey, the night after the dragon debacle. He had been so sure something was going to happen that he had actually worn cologne, but all Audrey did was explain to him that she had adopted the abandoned injured baby dragon, which she had discovered in the wild (something that Percy doubted was true, but didn't press at the time), quiz him on the latest muggle-borns being called for hearing, briefly debate politics and then firmly send him home at a very reasonable hour. Percy recalled how he and Penelope had started going out. She has asked to meet him in an empty classroom after lunch, and then she had proceeded to enthusiastically snog him. Why couldn't all women be that forward with their intentions?

Percy was jolted from his thoughts when someone knocked on the door. Quickly picking up his quill to maintain the pretense of work, he called out: "Come in."

The door was thrown and open and Lynn stumbled inside, collapsing on his paper-strewn couch with what sounded horribly like a sob. Alarmed, Percy rushed over to her, pushing some parchment onto the ground to sit next to her. "Lynn…?"

Weakly, she lifted her head, sniffling. Percy gasped. Lynn's eyes were red-rimmed, face pale and tear-streaked. "Oh, Merlin. Oh, no. Uh… what happened? What's wrong?"

Lynn pulled herself into a sitting position, silent tears streaming down her face. She moved to wipe them away as Percy awkwardly put his arm around her shoulders, unsure of how to comfort her. "The Death Eaters were, um, 'cleaning out' the hospital." She covered her mouth with one hand.

Percy felt a chill run down his spine. "What do you mean?"

She wet her lips before answering. "All the patients with ties to the anti You-Know-You movement, the Order of the Phoenix? They just… They killed them. They killed the Longbottoms, too." Lynn whispered.

Percy's eyes widened. "What? Frank and Alice?" He could still remember Neville's parents from when he was very little. They had been friends with the Weasley's, until…. Percy felt slightly light-headed as he watched Lynn nod miserably.

"No one, no one knows except me and a few other Healers who they've scared into silence. They claimed they were taking them to a different hospital… but—but—but," she dropped her head onto his shoulder, shaking. "And there were others, I—I don't know their names, but I saw Rookwood taking out at least a dozen bodies, wrapped in sheets. There was nothing we could do to stop them! I… I tried, but I couldn't."

Percy blinked in shock, as he allowed her to cry on his shoulder. Lynn was usually so unshakable. In fact, in all the time they had known each other, he could only remember one other time he had seen his friend cry.

_2 years ago. _

_Percy was pacing in his flat, back and forth down his carpet, counting his steps. 1,578… 1,579… 1,580… 1,581… His steps were carefully measured out, the length between footfalls unvarying. It was well past midnight, and he desperately wanted to sleep. But he couldn't. His eyes refused to close, anyway. He was waiting up for news, waiting for Lynn to walk into his flat._

_The door swung open and Lynn, dressed in blood-stained lime green robes, hurried inside. Percy froze halfway through his 1,616__th__ step. His friend's eyes were sparkling with tears. "Is he okay? Is he de—" Percy's voice broke on the word. _

"_He's stabilized, Percy. He's going to live." _

_Percy nearly broke down sobbing in relief. His father was going to be okay! Percy collapsed on his bed with a gasp, trying to catch his breath. Lynn stood in front of him, tears tracing shining lines down her face as she hugged herself. "You need to go, Percy. He'll be awake soon. You need to see him!" _

"_I can't Lynn, I can't go! Nobody wants to see me, especially not my father!" _

_Lynn eyes narrowed. "You need to swallow your stupid pride, Percy! Do you know what happened to your father? He was bitten by a snake, Percy. How do you rationalize that in your little world?" she snarled angrily. _

"_Dumbledore's fault. That old man just can't seem to stop hurting my family!" _

"_One day you're going to wise up, Percy. And you're going to regret not going to see him." Lynn sighed, all the anger suddenly draining from her body. She just looked tired. _

"_What… what do you mean?" Percy asked. Was Lynn going to turn her back on him too? _

"_Nothing Percy. I don't mean anything." She wiped her face dry on the sleeve of her robes. "I have to go back to work. I'll update you on his condition as it progresses." Lynn walked to the door, Percy staring blankly after her. She stopped in the doorway, hands clutching the doorframe. "For someone so smart, you can miss a lot of things," Lynn said quietly, almost to herself. _

"_What?" _

"_Nothing Percy, nothing at all." _

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

But she had meant something. And he had wised up. And he did regret. And Percy was eternally grateful to Lynn for standing by him, patiently waiting for him to come to his senses even when she knew he was dead wrong.

"Lynn?" Percy said quietly to her after she had stopped crying for several minutes. "Lynn, are you all right?"

She lifted her head, running a hand over her face and through her hair. She nodded. "Let's go to Audrey's flat." Lynn mumbled, getting to her feet. She leaned over his couch, sighing and stretching her spine. She pulled a small smile Percy felt rather sickeningly was for his sake and his sake alone.

"Isn't it a bit early?" Percy checked his watch, seeing it was about fifteen minutes until their scheduled rendezvous.

"She won't mind," Lynn responded, turning her head to look at him. Percy was about to argue—showing up early was not proper etiquette, and he was an ex-Head Boy, after all—when he saw the desperation shining in Lynn's eyes. He quickly agreed.

"Good. I'll go first. Follow in a minute; you don't want to be seen with me in the Atrium." Lynn rushed out of his office, glancing down the hallways for signs of life before disappearing into the lift.

Percy closed his eyes and began to slowly count to sixty. 1…2…3…he wondered if it would be awkward between him and Audrey. He hoped not. She was brilliant, funny, attractive…_oh, stop that! _23…24…25…he didn't even know why he was worrying; it was obvious she didn't have romantic feelings for him. 45…46…47… that night with the dragon was just a fluke, he had misread the signs… 56…57…58… he was just far too horny for his own good…

Percy's eyes snapped open and, grabbing his briefcase, he sped out the door and to the Atrium.


	6. Moonlight

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world is J.K. Rowling's, not mine. _

_Rated T for language. _

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really, really appreciate it. _

Chapter 6

Percy stumbled out of the fireplace, stamping his feet on the blue and silver rug, running his fingers through his hair and cleaning his glasses. Several seconds later, he decided he looked good enough and strolled into the kitchen.

To find Ayden sitting at the table, eating what appeared to be a large pile of scrambled eggs. He glanced up with a smile on his face, dirty tendrils of black hair flopping into his eyes. "Hey," he grunted.

_Would it kill you to use a proper greeting?_ "Hello," Percy responded stiffly.

To his irritation , Ayden pretended to shiver. "Okay, is it just me or did it just get a helluva lot colder in here?"

Percy sat down at the table, glowering first at Ayden, and then over the young man's shoulder. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said icily.

Ayden leaned forward, brown eyes twinkling with amusement. It made Percy want to strangle him. "Look, kiddo, I get the feeling you don't like me very much." Percy nearly gagged.

"I don't know, _kiddo,_" Percy practically snarled the word, deeply offended. _This man can't be more than a year older than me, if that! _"If I don't like you, a fact I neither confirm nor deny," Percy started, feeling himself getting into full prefect mode, "maybe it's because you, I don't know, _broke into my flat _in the middle of the night and then proceeded to _attack_ me? Hmm?"

"Okay," Ayden said, sticking his arm out above the table, squeezing his thumb and forefinger together. "I'm starting to feel a bit slighted, here. I'm not used to it, and I don't like it."

Percy theatrically rolled his eyes. "Oh no, are you taking back your marriage proposal?" he shot back, remembering Ayden's comment the night they met. Ayden's eyes twinkled even more, Percy noted, irritated.

"Clever. Look, Perce—"

"Don't call me Perce!" Percy snapped. "Only my friends can call me Perce."

"Oh, come on. Don't be that way. I'll let you call me Ayd."

"Ayden, as long as I have one functioning brain cell I assure you I'll never call you Ayd!"

"You just did."

Percy paused, reviewing his last statement. "Damn you!"

Ayden's eyes looked in danger of catching on fire, they were sparkling and shining with humor so much.

"Well, from now on I won't."

"Won't do what?" Ayden asked, grinning.

"Call you A— you're acting like a child!" Percy burst out, above Ayden's gleeful laughter. Percy was about to continue lecturing when he realized that his lips were curling in a smile, and that he felt like laughing. He broke off, confused and blinking rapidly.

"Did you break something in there?" Ayden smirked, gesturing at Percy's head. Percy felt a blush spreading across his cheeks, and he fidgeted in his seat a little bit, devising a witty, biting comeback when Ayden continuing talking. "Look, Percy, I'm sorry if I offended you by doing what I did, I really am. But I'm not sorry I did it." Percy calmed a bit, sensing a rational argument on its way. "I looked over your Ministry file, which seemed to center excellent note-taking, your test scores from school, nice job by the way, you got five times as many N.E.W.T.s as I did, and I really didn't think that you'd be capable of fighting in this war."

"You're wrong." Percy's voice was deadly silent. He was tired of everybody thinking of him as useless, sheltered, incapable. He was bloody tired of being the one no one ever thought would amount to anything. It made him angry as hell.

"I know, I know." Ayden raised his hands in surrender. "You've shown that. I'm sorry. And I know about the business with your family"—Percy's eyes narrowed dangerously—"and I get that, too." Ayden's gaze dropped and his usual happy, carefree manner dissipated. "I have, uh, I have my own family issues. And anger issues, too. You can say really stupid things sometimes, things that you can't take back."

Percy nodded slowly. "And when you're ready to apologize, it always seems too late." Ayden stared morosely at the table, lost in thought. Percy watched him, brow furrowed, wondering if he had misjudged the man. He obviously wasn't the obnoxious, carefree soul Percy had thought.

"Um, hello?" Lynn walked into the room, having changed into muggle clothes. Audrey followed her in, and Percy sat up straight immediately, running a hand through his hair. Lynn caught the movement and quirked an eyebrow at him before sitting herself down hard in one of the chairs. Audrey pulled up another chair and joined them. She pulled out a Sneakoscope out of her pocket and placed it on the table. They all jumped and glanced around nervously as it began to spin and whistle.

"All right, then," Audrey said, biting her lip. "Let's see 'em." All four of them took out their charms, touching them with bare skin. Percy checked each person's carefully: Lynn's wave, Audrey's spider, Ayden's moon. He was especially glad to see that last one. Percy didn't want to live with the knowledge that he had spilled his insecurities about his family to a disguised Death Eater.

"Then why's it going off?" Lynn asked, looking distressed. Her eyes were still red from her breakdown in Percy's office.

Audrey shook her head. "It must be the neighbors," she said in a low voice, leaning forward. Unconsciously, Percy copied her movements. "Yesterday, a man moved into the flat below me. I saw him trying to get into my flat this morning. He couldn't, of course, I have about as many protective spells as Hogwarts. And when I confronted him, he said he got confused about what floor he was on. Maybe I'm paranoid, but…"

"Doesn't sound paranoid to me," Percy said. "It sounds like someone's trying to get to you."

His statement resonated for a few seconds, and Percy felt the blood drain from his face. Audrey and Lynn had the same reaction. Ayden looked thoughtful, which, up until a few minutes ago, Percy would have found odd.

"Maybe I should move…" Audrey murmured. "Wait, what are you doing?" She added as Ayden leapt to his feet and walked into the center of the room. He stomped his foot once, twice, three times on the floor, creating a dull _thud_ each time. Percy jumped up, horrified.

"Ayden!" he hissed. The young man held up a hand to stop him, mouthing "trust me".Percy swallowed. _Do I?_ He wondered. Audrey and Lynn were on their feet, but not moving.

Percy watched with trepidation as Ayden continued to pound on the floor. After several minutes, he stopped. "Either that man is deaf, not fond of confrontation, or not home. Whatever it is, I don't think we have to worry about a Death Eater attack right now."

Audrey snorted. "I could have just used a spell to determine if he was home, Ayden. And it really doesn't matter if he's here currently. He's still a Death Eater living below a resistance headquarters—"

"Sneakoscope is spinning now," Ayden said cheekily, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

They all stood silent, realizing the truth of his words. "And we still don't know why it's spinning," Percy pointed out. Lynn mumbled her agreement with his statement.

"Okay then," Ayden started to the door. "I'll be right back."

Percy's eyes widened. "Ayden, what are you do—" Audrey grabbed Percy's arm, pulling him back. He abruptly stopped talking, very aware of the physical contact. He must have shown it, too, because Lynn raised her eyebrows at him.

"Just let him go," Audrey said. "It's not worth trying to fight the madness."

He paused, blinking thoughtfully. "Isn't that what we're doing here? Fighting the madness?" Percy met her gaze.

Audrey's face lighted with a tiny smile. "There are some things you have to believe you can stop. Ayden's wild rampages aren't one of them."

There was a shrill beeping noise, and Percy whirled around, whipping out his wand. "At ease, soldier," Lynn grumbled, pulling a small device from her hip. "It's a pager," she explained. "I'm needed at the hospital."

"Oh. Well, good luck." Percy tried to smile comfortingly at her.

"Yeah. Good luck saving Death Eater lives and watching innocents get killed." With a disgusted snort, Lynn walked out of the flat, slamming the door. A _crack! _ outside alerted them that she had disapparated.

"She was fine a second ago." Audrey turned to face him. "I hate seeing her so unhappy," she whispered.

Percy sighed. "I know. Did you hear about the attack on St. Mungo's?"

"Yes, I did. They say the Longbottoms were among the casualties."

Percy lowered his gaze. "I know." A minute later, he added: "I remember them, from before they were committed to St. Mungo's."

Audrey looked up at him, surprise in her hazel eyes. "Really?"

"Yes. I was five when they were, you know, hurt. There came to our house a couple of times before that, when they'd baby-sit me. _Just_ me. When Bill and Charlie were at Hogwarts, Dad was at work, and Mum was busy with whatever babies were littlest…. I don't remember much… just that they were nice. Really nice. They would read me books a lot. Not children's storybooks, I hated those, they read me _real_ books." Percy laughed, remembering. "They'd do it together with funny voices, even if it was just a textbook!"

Audrey was smiling softly at him. "Sounds fun."

"It was." Percy's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "I don't think anyone else ever read to me after that. Bill and Charlie were always at school or playing quidditch in the garden, Mum was busy, and Dad… Dad just never bothered. I think he thought I'd have more fun on my own."

Audrey was giving him a strange look he really couldn't classify. And it bothered him. Searching for another conversation topic, Percy said: "That's a nasty scratch on your arm. Where'd you get it?"

"What, this?" Audrey gently touched the skin near a long, greenish scratch she had just above her wrist. "Titus gave it to me."

Percy nodded. "I thought so. My brother, Charlie, had a lot of those. He works with dragons."

"I know. I saw him."

Percy blinked in surprise. "You did? Are you sure?"

Audrey chuckled. "Kind of hard to mistake the hair, isn't it? I saw him at the Romanian reserve with the baby Hungarian Horntails. I assume that was Charlie."

_She did lie about where she got the Hungarian. Titus must be from the reserve! _"The reserve where you stole Titus?" he asked pointedly, feeling annoyed at having been lied to. Audrey's shoulders drooped as she realized her slip of the tongue.

"Well, yes."

"Why did you lie, then?" Percy demanded.

"I didn't want you to think I was a thief, okay?"

"Well, you are, aren't you?" He regretted it the second the words popped out of his mouth. His stupid, stupid mouth. Did he have Tourette's syndrome or something?

"That's a rude thing to say," Audrey snapped angrily. Spinning on her heel, she walked out of the room, Percy hurrying after her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" He repeated, the rarely used words tasting strange in his mouth. He winced at the scathing look she shot him. "It just came out. And it was a really mean thing to say. I'm sorry. You weren't stealing. You were, er, adopting."

To his immense relief, her face softened. "I don't want to fight with a friend. Especially when nice people that you can trust are in such short supply." Percy nodded gratefully.

Although he was painfully aware he was pushing his luck, Percy couldn't help asking: "Why did you take him, anyway? I mean, he's very cute and friendly, and I'm sure he can do all sorts of tricks and fetch your slippers, but why?"

Audrey was grinning at his joke about the dragon, but her grin slowly faded to be replaced by a thoughtful look. "Percy, I think it's time you saw something." She offered her hand to him, making Percy's heart leap. _She's only trying to apparate you somewhere, you dolt!_ He told himself.

"Um… shouldn't we wait for Ayden to come back?"

Audrey shook her head. "No, my guess is he's canvassing the whole neighborhood, looking for spies. He could be days. Let's go." She waved her had incessantly.

Hoping his palms weren't too sweaty, Percy took it, their fingers intertwining. He wondered if her heart was beating as fast as his.

"Oh, of course." Audrey said. "We can't apparate out of my flat, it's protected. Duh."

"Um, yes. Duh." Percy agreed, wondering what on Earth 'duh' meant.

Stilling holding hands, they walked over to the door and out of the flat. For Percy, it was incredibly awkward. And nice. Audrey had surprisingly soft hands. He didn't dare look at her face and gauge her emotions, though. He was far too embarrassed. _For Merlin's sake! _ Percy thought, annoyed at his girlish behavior. How was it possible he had fallen so hard for a girl in just a few weeks?

Finally, they reached the hallway, and Audrey's grip tightened. He felt her spin around, and everything went black. The walls were pushing in on him, his eyes felt like they were being shoved from his head…

When the pressure released, Percy looked around, gasping, to see they were standing in the middle of the forest. "Audrey, wha…?"

"Shh!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and heaved him up. Percy felt his head being grasped and turned, so that he was staring straight into Audrey's big hazel eyes. "Be very quiet. You don't know who could be listening." She released him, taking a step backward and leaning on a thick tree trunk.

"Yes," Percy whispered theatrically, peering around. It was dark here, the only light coming from the stars and moon. "'The woods are full of her spies, even some of the trees are on her side.'" He glanced up to see Audrey giving him a funny look. "It's from a book. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."

"I know. I've read it. I just didn't realize there were any wizards that had as well."

Percy shrugged. "There was a muggle library near where I lived. The owner would let me read some of the less popular books whenever I wanted."

Audrey suddenly lurched forward and grabbed his arm. "C'mon. Let's go." She pulled him along as they fought their way through the woods, beating back stray branches and tearing undergrowth away from their clothes. Percy hissed in annoyance as he saw his new shoes were coated in a thick layer of mud and burs. He now saw that he had avoided nature his whole life for a good reason.

Percy was just about to quit trying to look manly and ask Audrey when the hell they were getting out of this godforsaken hellhole (or something like that) when they stumbled free of the trees, onto a meadow of tall, clingy grass. Dozens of tiny droplets of dew covered each bland, and the water shone silver in the moonlight. For a second, Percy was stunned by the beauty. Then Audrey touched his arm and he turned to face her, and he was stunned by a beauty of an entirely different kind. He just hoped that the dim light was enough to cover up his blush.

"We're going to have to wait a moment," Audrey explained in a low voice. "I've sent out a signal but it could be several minutes before they process it."

Percy didn't want to ask what that meant. He didn't really care at this point.

There were a few minutes of blissful silence before Audrey spoke up. "I'm sorry I lied about where I got Titus."

"'S okay," Percy mumbled.

Her lips quirked in a nervous, apologetic smile and she began to advance on him, scattering shining silver droplets as she walked. She looked like a goddamn goddess. "And I lied about why I lied. It's just, I knew that if I told the truth the conversation would go to your brother, somehow. And I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I mean—"

"You're babbling, Audrey." Percy murmured.

He had no idea what gave him the confidence to say something like that, or the confidence to reach up and swipe a curl of hair out of her eyes. _They look gray in the silver light,_ Percy though lazily. He felt oddly drunk, and yet he had had no alcohol. It was a light, pleasant feeling that he didn't want to ever end. Maybe it was the moonlight. Slipping off his glasses, which were foggy and dirty from the trek through the woods, he shifted his feet.

A succession of disjointed beeps split the silent night air. Suddenly Percy saw a blast of blurred light off in the distance. He slipped his glasses back on. The lights came into sharp focus and Percy could see that they outlined the shape of something: a house? A plume of fire rose in front of it, making Percy jump. There was throaty roar followed by several incoherent shouts. Something like a shock wave burst forth from the building, knocking them both off their feet.

"Welcome to the base station of the Wizard Underground," Audrey said, a little shakily. "They're happy to see us."

* * *

_Things are going to get a little more heated in the next chapter. Please tell me how I'm doing. Review!_


	7. Remembrance

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world is J.K. Rowling's, not mine._

_Rated T for language. _

_A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. I'm going to try to bring in a few more Weasleys. I've always wondered why all the Weasley brothers took Percy back so easily, though…_

Chapter 7

Ayden crept down the alleyway, the only light leading his way the faintly green glow from his wand. Slowly, he moved out into the main street of Diagon Alley. It was completely deserted at seven o' clock, and eerily dark, too. Pitch-black at seven in late summer? There's no way that can be natural!

There was a sudden blast of light in front of him, and automatically Ayden reached for his wand. Several seconds later, though, he realized that it was just the signs in a store window. The store he was looking for, Ayden noticed with a small grin. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Hurrying down the cobblestone street, Ayden slipped inside the store, feeling slightly nervous at the distinct lack of customers. He wanted to pass by unnoticed, especially considering that this was owned by Percy's family.

Glancing around, Ayden saw an unbelievable collection of the most bizarre merchandise. He momentarily forgot his urgent mission, drifting over to a display of a reusable Hangman set, complete with wooden gallows and tiny, moving man.

Ayden felt the Audrey's Sneakoscope—which he had stolen from her apartment—twitch in his pocket as a dark group of wizards and witches swept past the shop. He recoiled, pulling into the shadows in the corners of the room. The other few customers in the joke shop did the same.

Ayden abandoned the toys he had been inspecting, that display reminding him of the little value such frivolous things had during a war. Catching sight of a dark curtain in the back corner, he hurried over, thinking that that's where he'd find the more serious products.

Ayden's search was abruptly halted as he crashed into a sturdy, red-headed body. He swore loudly as the list he had been clutching in his fist fluttered to the floor, along with the Sneakoscope.

"Sorry, mate," said the red-head (who had an unusual number of ears) as he stooped to pick up the paper. Snatching up the Sneakoscope, Ayden held out his hand expectantly, and was slightly irritated to see that the man was reading what he had written.

"Can I have that, please?" Ayden asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice. Nothing on the paper was vitally important or condemning—just a quick scribbling of Audrey, Percy and Lynn's first names along with what supplies to get them—but _still, _he wasn't keen on prying eyes. Especially since—

"I have a brother named Percy. He would have loved to get all the quills you've put by the name." commented the man, looking up at him with a suspicious glint in his light brown eyes.

_God dammit. _"It's a common name," said Ayden dismissively with an unusually stiff manner, reaching for the list again. And again not receiving it.

"I think he knew someone named Lynn. She was a year older than me. I asked her to the Yule Ball and she said no."

Ayden gritted his teeth in frustration. "That's lovely. Now, I was wondering where you kept the Decoy Detonators—"

"Oi, George!" A second, near-identical red-headed man strolled over to them, an easy grin on his face. A rare thing in the current times. "Are you harassing the customers again?" He offered his hand to Ayden, who shook it. "Fred Weasley, co-owner."

"Ayden," he said automatically, and immediately kicked himself for using his real name. He took the momentary distraction of Fred to snatch the list back from the other twin. "Thanks. I'm just gonna grab some stuff and get out of here." He pushed into the dark back room, disconcerted by the fact the twins were muttering to each other behind his back.

Thirty minutes later, Ayden was slipping back into Audrey's building, weighed down with Shield Cloaks, Darkness Powder and several squirming Decoy Detonators (as well as, he was slightly ashamed to admit, various forms of magical candy).

Casting a quick Disillusionment Charm over himself, Ayden magically unlocked and pushed open the door of the supposed Death Eater's room.

* * *

"G' bye," Lynn grumbled to her fellow Healers, and without waiting for a response, she hurried out of the hospital and apparated to her flat.

Lynn stretched out on her bed, exhausted, having just spent hours healing Rookwood—a _Death Eater_—while far more deserving people were left unattended to.

Lynn reached over and plucked a picture off her bedside table, sighing as she gazed down at it, trying to immerse herself in happier times. The picture was of her and Percy, taken before her final year at Hogwarts and before he had started his job at the Department of Magical Cooperation. They were sitting beside a small pond near Ottery St. Catchpole, with Lynn's chin resting on Percy's shoulder so they could both read the thick book he had in his lap. The photograph hadn't been intentional, Lynn's camera had gone off of its own accord, and yet it was her favorite picture of her and Percy together of all their nine years of friendship. She smiled slightly, remembering how she and Percy had first become friends.

_Nine years ago_.

_Standing in the deserted seventh floor corridor, Lynn clutched the potions essay, barely suppressing a shriek of frustration as her gaze swept over the grade, written in dark red ink. P. Poor. She was so stupid! Her very first assignment of her school career in Potions, and she had completely failed it! Snatching up her Potions textbook, she threw it with all her might against the wall. _

"_Excuse me, but what are you doing?" Lynn whirled around, shocked, to see a gangly, red-headed second-year with overlarge robes and revolting glasses far too large for his face. "It's against the rules to throw books, you know. I could report you." _

_Lynn felt a rush of anger towards this boy. How was it any of his business what she was doing with her books? Suddenly, Lynn realized who this must be, red hair and demeanor revealing it. Percy Weasley, little brother of Head Boy Bill and Quidditch team captain Charlie. And notorious for being a real tattletale. "Leave me alone," she snapped. As she pointed down the hall, towards the common room (a recommendation as to where to go), the infamous Potions essay fluttered out of her hand. Before Lynn could cover it up, Percy spotted it. _

"_You got a P? But that's awful!" he chided in a superior tone. Lynn practically spluttered in anger. Who did this boy think he was?_

"_Like it's any of your business, you horrible prat!" She snarled and, without further ado, swept around and sped down the hallway. _

"_What class was it in? Potions? Oh, I'm great at Potions. Best Gryffindor in the class!" Percy said proudly, swaggering after her. Lynn blinked in disbelief. What was wrong with him? Where did he get off being so judgmental and pompous? _

"_Habberdasher!" Lynn yelled at the Fat Lady, who gave her a reproachful look before swinging open. Lynn rushed inside, Percy following her. She immediately sat down in one of the less comfortable chairs in the corner of the common room, far away from where Charlie and Bill were sitting, laughing with their friends, hoping that Percy would leave her alone. She sent a silent prayer of thanks when he stopped talking to her and instead walked across the room, towards the dormitories. But then...  
_

_Lynn saw the foot long before Percy did, stuck out in the boy's way by one of his brother's friends, intended to trip him. Lynn had a split second to warn the gangly second-year. She let the moment pass, eyes wide and staring at what she knew would soon be a scene._

_Percy tripped and smacked hard on the ground with a yelp, his glasses smashing on impact. The common room burst into laughter as Percy sat up, brilliant red, and groped for his glasses. Lynn glanced up at Charlie and Bill, expecting them to stand up for their little brother. But they didn't, they just laughed and hollered like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. Lynn felt the anger and annoyance she had been feeling for Percy just a second ago evaporate immediately. She felt horrible for him! His own brothers just sat there and laughed while he was being bullied by their own friends!_

And you let it happen, didn't you? _A small voice said in her head, unbidden. _You could have warned him. You're just as mean as any of them!_ As Percy scrambled to his feet, face so red he looked in danger of death by overheating, and stumbled back out of the portrait and into the hall, Lynn leapt up and hurried after him. _

_She caught up with him halfway down the corridor, and said: "Percy, wait!" _

_Percy swung around, blue eyes narrowed behind the sparkling cracks in the broken lenses. "What?" he snarled. "What do you want!?" _

_Lynn nearly started yelling at him again. She was just trying to be nice and he was getting angry! But, Lynn quickly reminded herself, it wasn't his fault. He obviously thought she was going to continue mocking him. "Nothing," she murmured awkwardly, shuffling her feet. "I just…" she searched desperately for something to say. "I'm not doing great in Transfiguration. We were changing matchsticks to needles and I just couldn't do it. Rebecca, a total snob from Ravenclaw, got it first and I remember McGonagall—"_

"Professor_ McGonagall," interjected Percy, brushing off his robes. _

"_Right. Well, anyway, Professor McGonagall said that the only first-year who ever got it faster than Rebecca was you." She saw Percy stand up a little straighter, some of his embarrassment fading. "So… I was wondering if you could help me so I don't get another bad grade."_

"_Of course," Percy responded, looking happier. "I am excellent at Transfiguration. I'd be happy to help a first-year in need." Lynn smiled slightly, deciding that from now on she'd try to be amused at his pompousness, not offended._

"_Okay, thanks. Um… should we go to the library?" Lynn asked._

_Percy's eyes widened. "You want to practice magic in the library? Do you have a death wish?" _

"_What?" _

"_Madam Pince would flay us within an inch of our lives!"_

"_Oh…" Lynn shuffled her feet again. "I didn't realize she was that strict."_

"_Oh, believe me, she is. I can tell you some frightening stories." Percy took his glasses off and cast a quick spell, repairing them magically. "We can go to the Transfiguration classroom to practice. Professor McGonagall likes me, she'll let us."_

"_Okay," Lynn said shyly, surprised by how quickly Percy had gone from overly pompous and uptight to casual and even friendly. Maybe being Percy's friend wouldn't be so much of a sacrifice, after all.  
They turned and walked down the corridor together. After a moment, she asked: "Can you teach me the Reparo spell, too?" _

***

Percy was still feeling slightly dazed as he and Audrey were rushed down a dimly lit hallway by a couple of men (who Audrey exchanged quick, almost nonsensical greetings with) and into a large room with a glass ceiling, revealing the full expanse of stars shining above in the sky. Several people were already sitting in the room, crowding around tables and eating off paper plates. With a thrill of shock, Percy recognized one of the muggle-borns he had rescued from the Ministry. The girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, turned and shot him a shy smile. Percy's mouth dropped slightly open and his eyebrows furrowed, unable to formulate a response. That girl, that _child_, had been down in the dungeons of the Ministry awaiting sentencing for something she couldn't help and now she was safe in a warm, inviting place. Percy was suddenly struck with the magnitude of what he was doing, the lives he was saving. To his surprise, it made him feel very small, as opposed to the self-important feeling all his other positions had given him.

He also noticed that all the refugees here were young, definitely none of them of age. A couple didn't even look old enough to have started school yet.

Percy jumped when Audrey whispered in his ear "The children with no families and no place to go are sent here. We try to take care of them." Percy nodded slowly.

Audrey walked into the center of the room, picking up a handkerchief and using it to wipe one of the younger children's chins, smiling benevolently at the little boy. As Percy awkwardly came over to help, she grabbed his elbow and whispered: "Come on, let's talk in the hallway. I don't want the younger ones to hear this." Percy nodded again and allowed himself to be steered out of the room.

"This is just one of the stations," Audrey explained. "There are lots more. I just wanted to show you this one because it's the place where the majority of homeless kids go and thus the largest and best protected."

"Meaning the dragon we saw out front was…"

"Protection! And damn effective, too." Audrey grinned faintly, folding up the dirty handkerchief and placing it on a small table.

"So, you have more than one dragon?" Percy asked, wondering how the hell she managed to steal so many dangerous beasts.

Audrey shot him a confused look. "What? That was Titus out there!"

"Really? But he was so huge! Titus was the size of a dog just weeks ago."

"That's one thing about dragons. They grow up so fast," she said, wiping away a fake tear. Percy just stared, flummoxed. "So anyway, you see, we have multiple stations, so that if one is discovered by the Death Eaters there will still be places to go. We send the muggle-borns on one safe-house at a time. Sometimes they'll pick one to live in, other times they'll chose to keep moving and try to find a safe place by themselves abroad. We give those ones muggle money and stuff and promise to contact them if they can ever come back. We also try to reunite spouses, children, and relatives so they can live together. You following me?" Audrey asked, for she had been speaking incredibly fast, and Percy was beginning to rifle through his pockets.

"I am," Percy responded. "I just feel like I should be taking notes or something."

Audrey snorted with laughter. "Not necessary. Anyway… it's what we do. Try to keep people safe." Percy gave his head a slight shake, and Audrey immediately (and loudly) asked: "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… this is a huge undertaking." Percy looked around the building, as if to emphasize his point.

"I know," Audrey sighed. She brightened quickly, however. "But it doesn't seem like it if you don't think too hard about it. Then it seems doable."

Percy returned her smile, wondering how on earth Audrey managed to keep her positive spirit all the time. "Can I ask you something?" He said suddenly, a question that had been floating around in his head for a while coming to surface.

"Shoot." Audrey replied and, when Percy blinked in confusion, she clarified with a laugh. "Go ahead, ask."

Percy nodded, tucking away that particular colloquialism for later use. "How did you meet Lynn?"

Audrey licked her lips and scratched her head, as if thinking. "Umm… let's see… oh yeah. It was about a year and a half ago, I was getting treatment for some bites (don't ask) at Mungo's. She was the Healer-in-training for the ward. We talked, became sort of friends… and when she thought I was asleep I heard her talking to one of her co-workers about what to do about at the Death Eaters hanging around the hospital and how to protect patients. This was before You-Know-Who was established by the Ministry as back again. A couple weeks later I asked her to join the effort." Percy nodded slowly. "She mentioned you, you know."

Percy looked up in surprise. "What, really?"

"Yeah," Audrey twisted her hands together, seeming embarrassed. "She mentioned that you were a bit… in denial about the whole situation."

"Oh, that." Percy dropped his gaze, trying to think of a suitable justification. He decided on the truth. "I was stupid, thick-headed, arrogant…"

"So, basically, you were a man?" Audrey joked feebly.

"I guess…" Percy sighed, gnashing his teeth. A bad habit he could never seem to kick. "In hindsight, I feel like a bloody fool."

Audrey gave him a toothless smile, shrugging. "Hey, win some lose soon." She caught his eyes with her own, the look in her hazel irises kind but oddly calculating.

After a few seconds, Percy found it too difficult to stand there and look into her eyes. Casting about desperately for something to do, he checked his watch. And did a double-take. "Oh no, I have to go."

"What, why?" Audrey asked, stamping her foot.

"I promised Travers that I would have a fire-talk consultation with him at nine. If you ask me, it's just a way for them to make sure I'm not off having clandestine meetings late at night."

Audrey smiled slightly. "Yes, well, this is quite clandestine, isn't it?" She glanced around the well-lit hall. "Go. You can disapparate from anywhere in here."

"You're going home?" he asked. Audrey nodded. "Okay, bye." Percy smiled at her.

"Bye." Audrey waved a little as Percy spun around and disapparated with a crack. Suddenly by herself in the hallway, she ran her hands through her hair, loosening the tight curls. Why was it that they could never spend so much as an hour alone together? With a sigh, Audrey prepared to apparate back to her own flat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_One hour later…_

A harsh buzzing woke Lynn up. She rolled out of bed, still in her Healer robes. She didn't even remember falling asleep. Lynn groped around on the bedside table, snatching up her cell phone and answering the call. "Hello?" she asked groggily, collapsing on the ground.

"Lynn?" Percy's voice crackled through the phone, sounding terrified and breathing hard. Lynn immediately felt wide awake, shooting up into a sitting position.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Automatically, she grabbed her wand, as if whatever was scaring Percy was in her flat.

"Audrey's building was destroyed!"

Lynn felt her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean I came to see her and her building—_the whole thing_—is completely wrecked. I, I don't know what happened!"

"I thought you were with her!" Lynn screamed. She started to pull off her Healer robes, changing into tighter-fitting black robes in preparation for a fight.

"I went home at nine and came back to her flat at ten and everything was just… it looked like there was an explosion!"

Lynn grabbed her clock and checked the time. 10:07. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to her. "Where's Ayden?"

"I don't know!" Lynn could hear the distress in his voice. He sounded like he was near a full-fledged panic attack. And she couldn't blame him.

"But then they might both be—" Lynn broke off, finding the next words far too painful to say. "Are you there?" She asked him, fighting to stay calm.

"Yes!"

"Don't move." Lynn said, her voice shaking. "I'm coming."

Pulling on her shoes as she went, Lynn staggered out of the door and down the hall.

* * *

_Review please!_


	8. A Dozen Blood Red Roses

_Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. __Short chapter here. Sorry. A longer one should be out really soon. __  
_

Chapter 8

Percy was a traditionalist, plain and simple. And so after his fire-talk with Travers (about forty-five minutes of total blather, and Percy was sure neither of them knew what they were talking about and simply throwing out whatever six-syllable words they knew), when Percy decided that life was too short and that he wanted to go out with Audrey, he immediately picked up a bouquet of a dozen blood red roses. No candy shops were open late, so he couldn't buy any chocolate. Unfortunately, his experience with trying to woo woman ended there. After changing into a pair of nice royal blue dress robes (which he _thought_ was a good color on him, didn't Ginny say that once?) he apparated out into the street in front of Audrey's building, planning to work up his nerve on the walk to her door.

Tucking the roses under his arm, Percy turned the corner, carefully picking his way across the dark street. He was pleased that there were so many streetlamps; the light made him feel more secure. But it became clear in a second that all the light in the world couldn't make anything truly safe.

As Percy lifted his gaze, he felt his grip loosen and the bouquet slipped from his grasp and hit the pavement. He himself nearly collapsed.

The building was destroyed. Half of it was completely caved in and crushed, the other half crumpling, walls split open and blackened. Shrapnel littered the streets, people running for cover. There were shouts and cries for help, and Percy was shoved aside as a man ran past him, his eyes wide and crazed. As Percy stood there, gawking, several roof slates slipped off and dropped into the street with a loud crash and a scattering of dust.

Finally regaining use of his legs, Percy charged forward, tripping and stumbling over chunks of wall and ceiling. He stopped just before entering a section of still-standing building, wondering if it was going to cave in and crush him.

The light from a streetlamp glinted off some metal on the ground, catching Percy's eye. He turned slowly, and what he was seeing immediately registered. He just didn't want to believe it. Percy kneeled down next to the piece of door, wiping off the plaster dust covering it, fully revealing the metal symbols nailed to the wood. One three, one b. 3B.

Audrey's flat number.

_No. _

Percy's pulled the cell phone out of his pocket, hands shaking as he hit the speed dial, calling Lynn. After a hurried conversation with her, he hung up, dangerously close to hysterical.

"_Don't move," _he heard Lynn's shaking voice say in his head again. _"I'm coming."_

But if Audrey's door was out here, in the street, then where she lived must be totally destroyed. She could be…

_No. _He couldn't let himself think about that. If there was even the smallest chance that Audrey was in there and needed his help, then he couldn't just stand here, staring like an idiot.

Raising his wand to attention, Percy picked the most stable looking entrance to the building and sprinted inside, danger be damned.

* * *

Several minutes later, Lynn ran out onto the same, rubble-strewn street. And amongst the panic and chaos, she saw a dozen blood red roses lying on the gray pavement.

_Review please!_


	9. Falling Down

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Don't forget to review! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed. I'm finally getting down to suspenseful stuff, like I promised. _

Chapter 9

As Percy entered the building and turned down the first hallway, the chaos of the outside world immediately disappeared, and he was enveloped in a dry, dusty, silent darkness. He stumbled across the rubble-strewn floor, wand tip aglow, acutely aware of the lack of stability of the roof looming above him. His heart was hammering loudly in his chest, louder perhaps than the floor that was groaning underneath his feet with every step.

_Boom! _Percy leapt up and swore loudly as a chunk of ceiling detached and hit the floor. He lost his grip on his wand, and immediately doubled over, groping amongst the wreckage for the slender piece of wood.

Suddenly, he heard someone shout "There! I see one!" behind him and before he could react, a cascade of colored light lit the hall as multiple spells flew over his head. Snatching up his still glowing wand, Percy whipped around, ready for a fight.

* * *

Tonks walked down the hallway, sticking close behind Kingsley, who was simultaneously casting a lighting charm and a stabilizing charm as they wandered the devastated building. They were on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix, searching through the wreckage of a residential building believed to have been attacked by the Death Eaters, trying to find survivors or perpetrators, and to discover why this particular edifice (was that what Remus had called it?) was targeted.

It didn't seem high priority, but Tonks was determined to make it a great mission. After all, it could be her last, considering the fact that she was more than two months pregnant. It was taken a lot of arm-twisting just to get them to let her do this.

Reaching up to tap Kingsley's shoulder, she asked: "Remind me again, who lived here that the Death Eaters would want out of the way so bad they would take out the whole building?"

Shaking his head, Kingsley carefully stabilized a doorway before creeping through it. "That's the thing, _we don't know_." He glanced backward, probably to make sure she was following him closely. "This building is about one fifth muggle—not enough muggles for a sport-killing—and other than that it's mostly low-level wizard and witches. Maryann Hedrins lives here, and she works at the Ministry in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but…"

He trailed off there, but Tonks understood. That position didn't really warrant a full-out attack like this.

They both jumped slightly as a chunk of ceiling crashed to the ground. Tonks heard someone swear and she quickly pushed in front of Kingsley, peering down the hallway. Seeing a tall, dark figure rummaging through the rubble she shouted a warning to her fellow Auror. "There! I see one!"

They both quickly shot multiple disabling spells at the man, but somehow he managed to dodge them all. Tonks sucked in a deep breath. This wasn't going to easy! She steadied her wand to strike again when the dark man raised his own wand and the light radiating from its tip illuminated his face… and, more importantly, his hair.

"That's a Weasley!" She exclaimed. Two features stood out immediately on the young man: fiery red, curly hair and huge, owlish glasses.

"Well spotted," the man snarled sarcastically as Kingsley stepped forward to stand beside her.

"I've seen you around the office," the Auror said in his deep, eternally calm voice. "You're Percy."

Tonks blinked as the name resonated. She knew all about the infamous third son from the talk around Head Quarters. She knew all about the lies he had believed and the loyalties he had chosen.

"Oh, correct, congratulations. Would you like a reward?" She didn't, however, know about the vicious wit, Tonks thought, raising her violet eyebrows.

Percy tried to bodily shove Kingsley out of his way so he continue down the hall, but with his slight frame he might as well been pushing against the wall. Actually, the walls here might have given in easier. "Move," the red-head growled.

"Did the Minister send you?" Kingsley asked calmly, unyielding. In the dim light, Tonks barely saw Percy roll his eyes behind his glasses. He seemed extremely agitated.

"The Minister?" He spat, voice dripping with venom. "The _Minister _might have sent me, if he managed to get his head out of his arse!" Percy's was breathing heavily, eyes crazed. He looked near deranged.

Kingsley chucked slightly. "Then why are you here?"

"I—I—I was seeing someone!" Percy spluttered, clawing at his glasses like they were bothering him. "I need to go!" He tried to push forward, but Kingsley intercepted him again. He looked desperate and upset. Tonks rather wanted to tell her friend to let the boy go.

As if reading her mind, Kingsley asked her: "Do you think we can trust him?"

"Oh sure, talk about me like I'm not here," muttered Percy, annoyed and turning his wand over in his hands anxiously.

Tonks glanced at Percy, feeling her heart go out to him. He was obviously very worried about something, or someone. She imagined that if something happened to Remus, she'd act just as he was. "Well, I don't know about trust, but he seems pretty determined, and going up against a Weasley when they've set their mind on something is like dueling the Whomping Willow. Messy, painful and ultimately fruitless."

Percy perked up and set his gaze on Kingsley expectantly, waiting for his response. The Auror looked thoughtful. "Fine," he said after a few seconds contemplation. "Go ahead."

"Oh _thank you_," Percy grumbled sarcastically. "_Really_."

Kingsley stepped aside and Percy swept past, picking his way across the floor, easily picking out the turns he wanted to take. "He knows where he's going," Tonks muttered to Kingsley, who nodded. They set off down the hall after the red-head.

"Where are you going?" She asked him with as must cheer as she could muster. "You've obviously been here before. You know the way."

Percy glanced back at her, eyes narrowed. "Dear Merlin, what's wrong with your hair?" He asked, continuing to stride down the hallway, his robes billowing out behind him. Dress robes, Tonks noted. What was here _doing_ here?

"The hair is a choice," she informed him loftily, deciding to leave it at that. No reason to reveal any secrets to someone who worked so closely to Thicknesse.

"Wait, I remember you! A Metamorphmagus, right?"

Tonks blinked in surprise. "You remember me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes; you were in seventh year at Hogwarts when I was in first. My brother, Charlie, was mooning after you."

Tonks couldn't help but smile a bit. Charlie had been a very good-looking Quidditch player, and he had fancied her, purple-haired, clumsy little old her?

"Don't be too proud, though. Charlie would chase any pair of legs in a skirt." Tonks could hear the smirk in his voice without seeing it. She was just about to snap back when there was a sudden rumbling and several small chunks of plaster rained down from the ceiling. They all froze, horrified. After a tense minute, Kingsley stepped forward and cast a quick stabilizing spell on the ceiling.

"Can you do a Stabilizing Charm?" He asked Percy, who blushed a light pink.

"I could if you'd tell me the incantation," the young man murmured.

"Stabilatus. Nonverbal." Percy nodded and, brow furrowed, raising his wand. Several seconds later, a pale-blue mist sprayed out of the wood, settling on the building structure and solidifying it. Tonks started, impressed. He got that fast!

"That was brilliant. I tried for an hour and couldn't get that spell." Percy's lips pulled up in a tiny smirk.

"Yes, well…"

There was another thud above them, and if not for the stabilizing charms the floor might have collapsed. "Uh… where are you going, exactly?" Tonks licked her lips, knowing the answer long before he said it.

"Predictably, upstairs," Percy said, a tiny note of morbid humor detectable in his otherwise grim voice. "About where that noise is coming."

"Is it safe upstairs?" Tonks wondered aloud. She didn't know a lot about building structure, but she had a feeling the further up you went, the less sturdy it was.

"You don't have to come," Percy shot back. Reaching the stairs, he cast a stabilizing charm on the woods and began to carefully and slowly work his way up, wincing every time the wood creaked or groaned.

Tonks let out an involuntary shriek as Percy's foot fell through the stair. Her shout of surprise and his were drowned out by the sharp snapping sound of the wood. They all stood stock-still until, a few seconds later, it became clear Percy wasn't falling all the way through. He swallowed, and his blue eyes widened. Tonks saw that his glasses had somehow fallen off.

"It wasn't an explosion…" he muttered, eyes darting blindly back and forth. "Ch-charm… rottening charm… destabilizing charm? But who… oh, no…"

Tonks watched his as he ranted quietly to himself, and began to seriously worry for the boy's mental health.

Kingsley, however, seemed interested in his ravings. "Yes, I was wondering about that. It doesn't seem like the destruction is entirely congruent with an explosion."

"Yes… the stairs were solid wood just yesterday… now they're completely decayed! But a spell to do that to the entire building… it would take at least four wizards, maybe five…"

"Ah-ha!" Tonks cried, pointing at him. "You_ have_ been here before!"

"Indeed, Nymphadora." Percy replied tartly, trying to extract his leg from the stair. "Try to keep up."

Tonks opened and closed her mouth, flabbergasted. "I'm sorry—_what_?" She hissed as Kingsley chuckled.

"Merlin, you're rather slow, aren't you?" Percy commented icily. His hands were shaking.

"Nice thing to say to a pregnant woman," Tonks retorted.

"Contrary to what you might believe, I have no interest in what may or may not be living in your uterus."

"Hey!" They all whirled around, (Percy to the best of his abilities, given that he was still trapped) to face whoever had made the noise as he leapt down the stairway, pushing past Percy. Tonks pointed her wand at the black-haired young man.

"Freeze!" Tonks shouted commandingly, at the same time Percy called out in excitement (with an oddly harsh undertone to his voice): "Ayden? Ayden!"

"Percy!" The man halted, stopping at the base of the stairs, wobbling slightly on his feet. "Holy shit, are you stuck?

Kingsley stepped up smoothly to intercept the young man. "Who are you?" he asked commandingly, brandishing his wand. "Why are you here?"

"Um… Ayden. I'm attempting to free my rather awkward friend who appears to have been taken hostage by the staircase."

"I'm not _awkward_," hissed Percy. He waved his wand, muttering a summoning spell for his glasses. They zoomed up and smacked him in the face. His body jerked backward automatically and his leg was freed from the rotten wood with an ugly scraping noise. He tumbled to the floor, wand and glasses skittering across the ground.

"Oh, of course not," Ayden replied, a strained grin spreading across his face. He stooped over and picked up Percy's belongings, handing them to him.

"Were you here when the building collapsed? Do you live here?" Tonks asked suspiciously, raising her wand slightly.

"Uh… yes, then no. The building just sort of… dissolved. Bizarre. And scary. I put up a shield so I didn't die." Suddenly he paused and turned to her and Kingsley, blinking. "Who the hell are you two? Should I be running or cursing you or something?"

Tonks opened her mouth to reply, but before she could Percy had jumped to his feet and grabbed the front of Ayden's robes, slamming him against the wall. "Watch it!" Tonks cried out in warning as the whole building shook. Percy pulled out his wand holding in close to Ayden's face and snarling:

"It was you, wasn't it? You told the Death Eaters we were meeting here!"

Ayden's eyes flashed with outrage and panic. "What the hell are you talking about? No!" He tried to struggle away, but Percy apparently had quite the iron grip. "Let me go! Have you gone completely mental, Weasley?!"

"How would they know!? How? Unless someone told them! The building was destroyed with a rottening charm. It destabilized from the _inside out_! I don't know any Death Eaters with the magical ability to do that. But I do recall reading in your Ministry file that you worked in urbanization of areas for magical use! Spells like this would be a huge part of your job!"

"You're crazy! You read my file? I can't believe you. How dare you accuse me of—"

"Don't lie to me!" Percy hissed ferally, a wild anger in his eyes that Tonks couldn't help but be a little afraid of. "I swear to Merlin, if she's been hurt!"

"Who, Audrey?" Ayden growled, eyes flashing with pain. "What right do you have to say that? I've known her for almost two years! You met her just a few months ago—" His next words were drowned out by a huge roaring sound from the second floor.

They all jerked up in alarm and stumbled backward as brilliant orange flames burst forward from the top of the stairs and began to consume the decaying wood, edging rapidly close to where they stood.

_Could this mission get any worse?_ Tonks wondered desperately.

* * *

"Lynn?"

Lynn swung around in the street, towards the voice that had called. Her mouth fell open and she nearly cried out in relief to see an unharmed Audrey striding over the rubble towards her. "Lynn, oh my god, what happened to my building?" Her hazel eyes were wide as she gazed upon the wreckage.

"Audrey!" she cried out. "Thank god. I thought you were home and had…" Lynn gestured at the wreckage, needing to say no more.

"I was planning on going home, but… but they needed me to help with Titus!" Her eyes darted around in panic. "Where's Ayden? Percy?"

Lynn shook her head miserably. "I don't know! I called Ayden but he's not answering and Percy called_ me. _I told him to stay outside and wait for me but, but…"

"Percy was here? Why?"

"I don't know, but I think he went inside to look for you!"

"Oh no," Audrey murmured, and then her voice got louder and more distressed. "Oh, no!" Pulling out her wand, she ran towards the last standing doorway, disappearing inside. Lynn prepared to hurry in after her friend, stopping in her tracks, however, when she saw smoke billowing out a second-story window.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Lynn whispered to herself, following Audrey into the dark, crumbling hallways. "Please not Percy. Please."


	10. Trust

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: I'm SORRY, SORRY, SORRY for the long wait!! I started this story during a huge snowstorm when I had time to write every day, but lately end-of-term work had been piling up and I've been super busy. But it's spring break now so I promise I'll be updating more regularly._

_The first part is in Tonks' POV again, then Audrey's, with a tiny bit of Percy at the end. POV changes indicated by *~*~*~*~*~._

Chapter 10

The fire roared down the stairs, consuming everything in its path, glaring blindingly bright and painful. Tonks grabbed the back of Percy's robes, tearing the young man away from where he stood, shell-shocked. Free of the red-head's grip, Ayden called out over the sound of the blazing fire:

"It's too much to put out! Run! Follow me!" Stumbling, Ayden tore down the hall, where they had came. Tonks wondered if it was safe to follow him, considering Percy's wild reaction to the black-haired young man. But he was heading down the last-standing hallway to the exit, so they didn't have much choice. Still dragging Percy along, she ran from the blazing fire, with Kingsley on her heels, shouting for her to go faster.

Tonks let out a gasp of surprise as she crashed into another person, and glanced up, seeing a young woman with curly hair and sharp hazel eyes. Percy tore himself from her grip and threw his arms around the woman and then pulled back, checking her for damage. "Audrey! Are you alright?"

* * *

Audrey felt like crying with relief as she pulled Percy and Ayden out of the building, one hand on each boy's shoulder. She was surprised to see two well-known Aurors, Tonks and Shacklebolt, but she didn't want to devote too much thought to that. Not until she had found out what had happened. How had the Death Eaters known about their presence?

"Percy, Ayden! What the hell happened?" She gazed up at the second-floor, seeing her window. Bright orange flames licked out of it, consuming and blackening any walls still left standing. "Are you two oka—" Audrey broke off, face twisting with anger and shock. "Hey!"

For Ayden had spun around in the street, away from her, and pounced on Percy, punching the slighter man in the face. Percy stumbled backward, clutching at his nose, which was abruptly red with blood. His glasses fell off. Trying to fight back, Percy pulled out his wand, but Audrey knew he couldn't see two feet in front of his face and Ayden easily knocked it out of his hand. He charged in to punch Percy again, this time burying his fist in the red-head's stomach. Percy staggered backwards, looking in danger of crumpling to the ground. Ayden stepped towards him with a feral growl, ready to attack again.

Audrey rushed forward and grabbed Ayden's arm, trying to stop him, dragging him away from Percy. "What the fuck!?" she screamed. "Stop it!" She shot Ayden a furious look. "What's wrong with you?"

Ayden whirled around to face her, eyes narrowed in passionate anger. "Why do you just think it's MY fault?! Why do you take his side? I've known you longer! Why do you… not my fault…"

Audrey was completely flummoxed. What was going on?

Lynn shoved past her, snarling. "Not your fault? NOT YOUR FAULT? You bloody wanker!" She hurried to Percy, propping the disoriented red-head up on her shoulder. "What did _he_ do to _you_?"

"He accused me of selling Audrey out to the Death Eaters!"

Audrey blinked in surprise. "_What?_"

"That's not what I meant!" Percy gasped, pushing away from Lynn and mopping at his bloody nose. "I just got…carried away, is all!"

"Yeah right!" snarled Ayden, throwing back his head, shaking the plaster dust out of his long black hair.

Audrey turned to Percy, ready to explode, ready to shout at him, but found she couldn't muster up the emotion. That was just one of the many weird things about her; she couldn't be angry bleeding people. Especially _cute_ bleeding people. With a thrill of shock, Audrey shoved that thought out of her mind.

Really, she couldn't blame Percy for this. It wasn't his fault… how was he supposed to trust Ayden when he barely knew the man? And the circumstances were extremely suspicious… if she didn't trust all three of them, she might jump to the same conclusion. And besides, she'd known from the very beginning that Percy and Ayden wouldn't get along. The two were far too alike, even if they didn't know it.

_Time to be a leader, Audrey, _she told herself. _See if you can't mend some bridges. _

"Whatever, okay? We were all freaking out, it's understandable. Let's just get someplace safe, alright?" Ayden grumbled, turning away while Percy stepped towards him.

"I'm sorry!" Percy said, not sounding particularly apologetic. Ayden made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl, scoff and whimper.

Glancing around, Audrey could see that they wouldn't be safe here much longer. Muggles and wizards alike were spilling into the streets to see the rubble, and by robe colors Audrey could see some of them had to be Ministry workers. If they saw Percy…

A violet-haired woman was pushing her way through the wreckage and towards them. "Okay, can someone explain to me what's going on?"

"Not quite," muttered Audrey, and before the woman could respond she leaned down and whispered to Lynn: "Your place, okay?"

Pulling her hair in front of her face to stay hidden from the crowd, Lynn nodded. She grabbed Percy's arm and spun around, and with a crack they both disappeared. Audrey was about to do the same for Ayden, but he leapt out of her reach.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable!" Ayden ranted, and even though he was shouting Audrey could barely hear him over the mounting panic on the street. "Why did you even bring in that jerk, Audrey?"

"He's rescued dozens of muggle-borns!" Audrey hissed as loud as she dared. "And he's just scared, that's why he's pointing fingers, Ayden. You_ know _that."

"Weasley turned his back on his entire family!" Audrey blinked as Ayden's voice began to shake and he turned his head away. "How-how can we trust someone like that?"

Audrey's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, unable to formulate speech. Suddenly, she noticed a group of black-clad wizards and witches marching down the street, shoving passers-by out of the way. She grabbed Ayden's elbow, tugging him into the shadows of another, still-standing building. "Look, Ayden, I understand you're upset but we're in real trouble here and if we start fighting among ourselves then we don't stand a bloody chance. So are you in or not?"

Ayden's eyes were unusually bright as a wobbly smile spread across his face. "'Bloody'? I'm losing you to the Brits, Audrey."

She let out a breath of relief, but the feeling was short-lived as more black-robed people began clearing the streets. "Come on." She grabbed his arm and they disapparated, appearing in Lynn's hallway. Quickly, they let themselves in to see Percy and Lynn sitting in the main room. Audrey and Ayden joined them without saying a word, and they sat in silence for several minutes.

Audrey was just about to tell Percy to magically repair his nose because the blood was bothering her out when the young man did so himself. "_Episkey," _he mumbled, his wand-hand twitching.

And with that spell, the silence was broken, and Audrey felt comfortable asking in a low voice: "How did they know that we were meeting there?"

"Maybe it had nothing to do with us…" Lynn suggested quietly.

"Doubt it." Ayden muttered with a tiny, strained smile. "But… maybe it wasn't that somebody out and told. Maybe they just… guessed somehow. No one is in league with the Death Eaters."

Audrey nodded slowly. Silence once again descended over the room, and it remained so as they sat vigil into the night.

* * *

Ayden said he didn't. He swore. Percy should believe him.

But, in the years he had spent working under the various Ministers of Magic, Percy had begun to notice things. He had watched countless conversations between countless dignitaries.

He had seen eyes darting around, refusing to focus.

Hands twisting together, rubbing forearms and faces.

Eyes, lips and cheeks twitching.

Percy could tell when someone was lying.

And so he couldn't trust Ayden.


	11. Goats

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language and suggestive content.  
_

_A/N: This skips from Percy's point of view, to Audrey's briefly, and then back to Percy again. Sorry for any confusion the skipping about causes. You might think the next two chapters are boring, because I'm exploring character (i.e. trying to make Percy seem like less of an arrogant prick).  
_

Chapter 11

Percy sat in his office, pouring over the large stacks of files on his desk. Occasionally, when he found that he couldn't stomach the blatant, hateful propaganda that had become his job, his let his gaze flit back over to Ayden Carter's file.

It had been almost a week since the disaster at Audrey's building, and just as long since he had seen any of his three friends (or perhaps only two, after the fist-fight incident). They had all agreed that it would be safest to split up for a little bit, in case one of their identities had been discovered. But so far there had been no trouble, and Percy was waiting eagerly for Audrey or Lynn to get in contact with him. He missed having people who he actually liked to talk to.

And then there was Ayden. Percy let his eyes hover over the young man's scant Hall of Records file for the thousandth time. There was a picture spell-o-taped to the front, a picture of Ayden with his black hair, deep brown eyes and birthmark on his temple. There was nothing interesting in it, nothing new. Ayden didn't even come here until about two years ago, traveled over from America. Homeschooled, which meant he had at least one magical parent, but also meant he had no test scores or reports from teachers. His only job on record was working in magical construction…

Percy shook his head, trying to clear his head. He knew Ayden was lying, he knew something was off. But he couldn't believe that Ayden was a Death Eater or even a Death Eater sympathizer, not after that night they had talked in Audrey's flat.

He clenched his jaw. He just _didn't know! _And there wasn't anything in the world Percy hated more than not knowing, not understanding.

Percy gasped in surprise as the owl pendant pinned to his robes began to burn, and he snatched it, throwing in on his desk. Tentatively, he slipped a piece of parchment under it and flipped in over, watching as the carefully engraved words on the back—lyrics to Freedom's Breath—began to melt away and reshape themselves slowly. A minute later, a new message had appeared.

_Meet us in the cliffs outside Hogsmeade. As soon as night falls. Don't be seen. –Audrey _

Percy blinked, one hand slowly massaging his aching neck. He leaned back, analyzing the message.

Well, it had to be from Audrey, the method of delivery proves that, its authenticity wasn't a concern. Now… '_in the cliffs outside Hogsmeade'_? It made sense not to meet in a public place or one of their flats, but… the cliffs outside Hogsmeade? The only reason that Audrey would want him to come so close to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade—which were both under Death Eater command—was that she wanted him to show him something.

And us… what did she mean by 'us'? Her and Lynn? Her and somebody he'd never met before? Or—Percy felt an uncomfortable twisting in his stomach—Ayden would be there. He wasn't sure what to think about that. Percy had wanted to talk privately with Audrey about the young man, about how she met him, what he was doing before they started working together.

_Well, _Percy thought grumpily, gathering up his belongings, _no use sitting around here obsessing about it. _Checking his watch, Percy swore softly. It was only mid afternoon, he still had several hours until darkness would fall. So that meant several hours at the Ministry.

Percy shivered slightly. The Ministry, which he had once considered a haven, a place where he could work to better the world was now a just the sanctuary of hateful, bigoted Death Eaters. How had the place he loved fallen so far? Sometimes Percy just wanted to put his head on his desk and cry and throw up, or better yet storm the halls and curse everyone in sight, ending with toppling that horrible statue. That statue… it was sick! Magic is Might? How had he chosen this establishment over his family, as antagonistic towards him as they were? And the new way of getting into work every day. Through the bloody_ loo_, of all places. Every morning, Percy flushed himself down the toilet. How fitting, really.

The only good times he ever had was when he was rescuing the muggle-borns from the basement dungeon. Percy had lost count of how many people's papers he had faked, how many times he had carefully manipulated the system to free witches and wizards, and the rare times when he flat out sneaked them out to one of Audrey's stations. Percy wasn't sure, but he liked to believe that he had saved several dozen people from unjust imprisonment. That was a great consolation, through all the lies and the confusion and the mistrust. The fact that he was finally doing what he had joined the Ministry to do. Help people who didn't have their own voices.

Slowly, and with aching fingers, Percy picked up his quill and continued to scratch away at one of his many reports, praying that no one would come in to see him.

* * *

Audrey sat, cold and uncomfortable on the rocks, gazing out over Hogsmeade. Usually, at night the village was filled with light and laughter coming from the various pubs and inns, but now it was dead silent and dark. Death Eaters prowl the streets. Audrey knew that they were going to have to be quick if they were going to get past them and to where she wanted to go.

Lynn coughed slightly next to her and Audrey jumped. She had forgotten that Lynn was there, waiting with her for Percy's arrival. The sun had nearly set, the only light not coming from the moon was a few streaks of orange light on the horizon.

And speaking of Percy…

Audrey slipped a hand inside her cloak, fingers brushing over the collection of rose petals she had stashed in an inner pocket. She had seen the flowers, just lying on the pavement seconds before she discovered the wreckage of the building, and had on an impulse plucked away a few of the flower heads. She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew who brought them…

"Lynn?" Audrey asked hoarsely, her voice breaking the still air.

"Hmm?"

_Oh, boy, how to phrase this? _Audrey cleared her throat. "Uh… what do you think about Percy?"

Lynn blinked, turning to face her full-on, frowning a little bit. "Audrey, if you think he was the one who sold us out to the Death Eaters…"

_What? _"Oh, no, of course not!"

Lynn cocked her head to the side, green eyes bright with interest. "Then what do you mean?"

"I mean…" _Oh, God, could this get any more awkward. _"Do you like him?" Audrey forced out.

"He's been my best friend since first-year, of course I like hi—oh." Lynn broke off, and Audrey knew that she had finally gotten the point. "Oh."

"Yeah." Audrey suddenly found her shoes very interesting.

"I thought so. You two have been… playing around each other for a while." Lynn smiled slightly.

Audrey's cheeks were burning. She really wasn't one to discuss her love life (or lack thereof) with anyone. And now she saw why. "That wasn't my question," she replied, fighting to keep the embarrassment out of her voice. "My question was: do you like him like that? Because if you do, I don't want to get in the way. You've known him longer, after all."

Lynn laughed. "Percy would _never_ believe me if I told him two girls were having this conversation about him. But anyway… romantic feelings? Occasionally—I had a huge crush on him when we were kids—and a couple months ago I really thought I was going to ask him out… but I guess that's the tension of the war, isn't it? You think that every day might be your last and so you start making rash decisions and not thinking things through." Lynn was talking faster and faster, so that Audrey had to struggle to keep up. "But I think I who him too well, you know? We were always meant to be friends, I think. Just friends."

Audrey blinked, realizing that that was the most she had ever heard Lynn say at one time about a non-Healing related subject. "Okay…"

"Be warned, though, the boy is pretty goddamn clueless."

"Who's clueless?"

They both jumped for their wands at the voice, but it was only Percy, carefully picking his way over the rocks. "I've been wandering around for _hours,_" he moaned.

"I'm so sure," Audrey leapt to her feet, slightly unnerved at Percy's condition. His skin was ashy gray, with dark circles under his eyes and a fair bit of stubble on his face, like he hadn't shaved since they had last seen each other. He actually did look like he had been out on the rocks for _days_.

"Er… is Ayden here? Is he coming" Percy asked, with an obviously forced nonchalant tone in his voice.

_Crap_. Ayden was the last thing she wanted to talk about with Percy. "No and no." She said loudly.

Percy adjusted his glasses, with a heavy sigh. "Good. Then can we—"

"Sorry, Perce, not now." Audrey cut over him, feeling slightly guilty. She just did not want to talk about this right now. "We're gonna have to hurry if we're going to get to the village before curfew."

Percy sighed again, looking weary, but thank God he didn't press the point. "All right. Where are we going, then?"

Audrey smiled slightly, brushing a curl of hair out of her eyes. "We're going to see a friend of mine. His name's Aberforth Dumbledore."

* * *

Percy blinked in surprise. "Dumbled…?"

"Yes," Audrey cut in, rolling her eyes. "That Dumbledore. Anyway, he owns the Hog's Head Pub."

Percy frowned, remembering what his teachers had told him about that particular pub when he had made prefect. "_That _place? I have a reputation to uphold! I can't be seen in a dingy, disgusting breeding ground for criminals like the Hog's Head!"

Lynn's lips quirked. "Don't worry, Percy, we've got that taken care of."

Percy let out an undignified squawk as he felt Lynn grab his hood and tug in over his head. "With that Weasley-red head of yours, we can't afford to be parading you around."

Percy rolled his eyes, annoyed that they couldn't see such a gesture through the hood covering his face. Shaking his head, he followed Audrey and Lynn as they climbed down the cliff side.

_Time to add rock-climbing to my list of things I should never, ever do, _Percy thought as he awkwardly half-climbed, half-fell down the rocks, getting a new bruise and scrape with every step. "I can't believe that Dumbledore's brother is a bartender in Hogsmeade," he mused aloud.

"Yeah," Audrey said, letting out a breathless laugh. "With all the stories that people tell about him you'd think he was off in the hills, looking for a goat to f—"

"Don't—finish that sentence," Lynn said, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily.

Percy blinked in confusion. "Wait, what?" he asked, scowling as the two young women laughed. "What?"

Percy gasped in surprise as Audrey's arm shot out in front of him.

"Shh," she said quietly. They had reached the base the cliff, and were standing on the edge of town. Percy could see the outline of Hog Head's Pub, not a hundred meters off in the distance. Not a Death Eater in sight, either. "Disillusionment Charms," Audrey whispered.

Percy lifted his wand and tapped his head, shivering as he felt cold liquid dribbling down his head. Glancing up, he appeared to be alone. "Are you two there?" he asked, reaching out in the supposedly empty space.

"Right here!" "And here!" he heard Lynn and Audrey chorus quietly. They stepped closer to each other so that their sides brushed as they walked towards the Pub. Finally, they reached the Pub and the door swung open. Percy waited for several seconds, feeling two figures sweep past him, and then stepped inside, feeling the smell of goat and old liquor invade his nostrils. Fighting the urge to gag, he closed the door. Turning around, he saw that Audrey and Lynn had dropped their charms, and he did so as well.

The pub was completely deserted, dim and eerie. Slowly, Percy lowered his hood off his head so he could see the room better. He could hear stomping coming from the backroom that sounded like heavy footsteps.

Audrey whirled around, grabbing his shoulders. "Now listen to me," she hissed, giving him a slight shake as if to emphasize her point. "He's probably going to take us upstairs, so, whatever you do: _don't ask about the girl in the picture_. The one above the mantelpiece? I'll explain later, just _don't_, okay?"

Flummoxed, Percy nodded.

"Great." Audrey released him and turned to face the bar, for an old man with piercing blue eyes had stepped out, and was rubbing down the counter with a rag.

"Forgot you were coming back," Aberforth growled. "Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part."

"Always the charmer, aren't you, Ab?" Audrey smiled leaning forward on the bar. "Anyway, you know Lynn and this is Percy." Percy gave a crisp nod as Aberforth looked up at him. He wondered if this man would be the same entitled person who thought himself to be a saint, like his brother Albus was.

Aberforth's eyes narrowed. "I remember you," he said gruffly. "Red hair, glasses, came in here and threw a tantrum about how I was selling firewhiskey to your underage brothers?"

Percy snorted, remembering this incident. _Alright, I guess he really isn't just like Dumbledore. He might be a complete scumbag, but at least he's different. _

Aberforth ignored him and turned to Audrey. "I wouldn't think he was your type, Audrey. Bit too uptight. I guess he must be really good in bed then."

It took Percy several seconds to figure out exactly what Aberforth had just said, and when he did felt himself go bright red, practically spluttering in indignation. "I-I, for your information—"

Audrey cut smoothly over his babblings, a mockingly charming smile on her lips. "So sweet of you to take such an interest in my personal life, Ab. So nice, in fact, I have half a mind to buy your girlfriend something. What size goat bell does she wear?"

Aberforth grimaced. "Just go upstairs, already, you little harpy."

"Gladly." Percy followed Audrey and Lynn up the stairs, desperately trying to get the color to drain from his face. Why did he associate with these people again?


	12. Investigations and OWLs

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: I'm getting into Tonks and Kingsley's reactions this chapter. I really wasn't going to follow their story, but I found myself really enjoying writing for them, so they're getting a sub-plot. By the way, __**the misspelling of Ayden's name in this chapter is intentional**__. It's an explanation of why they can't find him in their records like Percy did; they've got the wrong name. _

_And I feel I need to mention that neither Tonks nor Kingsley heard everything that the Percy, Ayden, Audrey and Lynn said to each other, or saw everything, as they were busy dealing with the wizards and muggles on the street. That's why their impressions are so off._

_Thanks for the reviews, especially Who wrote this crap. Thanks for the information; some of that stuff I never thought about about!  
_

Chapter 12

Tonks sat in her cubicle, balling up little bits of parchment and tossing them at the rubbish bin. "Damn," she muttered as she missed the seventh shot in the row. Glancing down at her desk, Tonks saw that, in the span of twelve minutes of boredom, she had used up half of a six-foot role of parchment. "New record."

Tonks sighed. Where the hell was Kingsley? It had been a _week_ since the raid on that building, and Kingsley had just gotten time to talk to her about. And he was late! Tonks squirmed a little in her chair, rubbing a hand over her belly. Merlin, she hated morning sickness! And it was practically noon, anyway. _Why call it morning sickness if it goes on into the bloody afternoon!?_

There was a small _thunk!_ as Kingsley slid inside her cubicle and sat himself down on the chair in front of her desk. He looked up at her, dark brown eyes filled with seriousness. Tugging on a pink ringlet of hair, Tonks did her best to smile at him. "Well, did you get anything?" she demanded.

Kingsley sighed before reaching into his briefcase. "Nothing on the man, but—"

"Aiden, I remember that. His name was Aiden!" Tonks cut in, impatiently drumming her fingers on the desk.

"Yes," Kingsley continued slowly. "But there are multiple Aidens in the Hall of Records, none of which remotely look like the man in the building, as I can attest."

Tonks blinked, shaking her head. "Then we've got nothing! That attack was so odd, and I was sure that if we could find out the name of that man with Percy we could figure this out. I mean, Percy was so sure that he was responsible…" Tonks broke off as Kingsley placed a file on her desk. "I thought you said you didn't get anything?"

"_This_ is the file on the woman he was with." Kingsley flipped open the file, revealing the abundant contents. And Tonks noticed something else.

"The watermark on this, it's from the _American_ Government of Magic," she commented in confusion. "How did you know to look there? You only had a first name and a few second sighting to go on."

Kingsley smiled slightly, but he stilled looked a little troubled. "I've seen that woman before," he said. "She was at an international Auror conference I went to."

"So… she's an American government worker?" Tonks inquired, the gears in her brain finally unsticking. "That explains why Percy would know her, right?"

"No, she's not a Ministry worker." Kingsley pulled out a single piece of parchment, showing it to her. "She, let's see, 'crashed' the meeting to very loudly complain about business practices and then left the country a few months after that." His lips quirked into a tiny smile. "Apparently, this Audrey White blew the lid off quite a bit of corruption going around. A very anti-government type."

Tonks stifled a groan as the gears in her brain abruptly stopped turning. "Why would Percy be friends with her? After everything I've heard about him, it hardly makes sense. And I mean, forget about friends, did you see the way he was acting? I've never seen anyone so smitten with _anyone_." Tonks shook her violet head again, letting out a huff of frustration. "I guess I'll have to do more research into the woman. Audrey White, right?" She reached for the file.

To have it snatched away from her grasp by a weather-beaten looking Kingsley. "Listen, Nymphadora—"

"_Tonks_," she growled.

"Right. Tonks, I think you should just forget about this one, all right? It's not even a big case, no casualties at all. I'll finish the investigation, you just concentrate on—"

Tonks leapt to her feet in anger. "What? Just forget about it? No way! This will probably be my last mission for the Order for months and months!" She laid a hand on her stomach, feeling a sudden jolt there.

Kingsley caught the movement and gently pushed her back into the chair. "I think you need to take the child into consideration, Tonks. You don't want him or her harmed, do you?"

Tonks scowled. "I'm a few months pregnant, I'm not invalid! And besides, we're not the only ones you need to worry about here. You saw the way that Aiden man attacked Percy; he could really hurt him, even _kill _him! I can't let that happen. Molly's been too good to me, Kingsley." Tonks was acutely aware she was babbling at this point, but it looked like her words were really striking a cord with Kingsley. "You know, I think it was her and Arthur who really convinced Remus to be with me. And I know Percy's not talking to the rest of the Weasley's, but Molly would be absolutely crushed if something happened to him. And Arthur—"

"Did someone say my name?" Arthur squeezed himself into her cubicle, bringing it way over capacity. Tonks was shocked by his appearance: he looked drawn and tired, his face deeply lined and whatever hair he had left was shockingly gray.

Tonks noticed that Kingsley had snapped the file shut and discreetly slipped it under her desk. "Hello, Arthur," he said calmly. "How are you doing?"

Arthur rubbed his forehead with one hand, looking weary. "Honestly, Kingsley, not great. I'm worried about Fred and George, off in Diagon Alley all by themselves. And Charlie hasn't made a fire call in weeks, he sends letters from Romania so we know he's okay, but I'd really like to hear his voice. And Ginny… I almost didn't send her to Hogwarts this year. I thought it would be too risky not to, though. But I just got a notice from Minerva that she and a few friends got in trouble with Snape." A small sneer formed on his face with the name. "Bill's living by himself with a wife to protect, and don't get me started on the kind of danger Ron must be in. And…" Arthur sighed, and Tonks shot a pointed look at Kingsley at the one son omitted, the one the heavy, depressed sigh was dedicated to.

Arthur pulled a small smile. "I guess I'm just an old man whose children have all flown the nest." He leaned against the wall. "Anyway, how are you and the baby doing, Tonks? I heard you moved back in with Remus, that's great."

"Yes, I did," Tonks said, feeling a little guilty at being so happy when he was obviously deep in grief. "And," she said, gliding a hand over her stomach, "he's fine."

Arthur's smile widened. "A boy, huh?"

Tonks heard Kingsley chuckle and felt a blush spread across her cheeks. "Well, I don't know."

"No, trust your instincts." Arthur stepped forward, flattening several of her parchment balls. "I remember when Molly was pregnant with Ginny. A few months in, she woke me up in the middle of the night with a huge smile and said 'We're finally getting our little girl!'"

For a moment, he seemed lost in memories, but in a few seconds he seemed to shake himself and stumble out of his own head. "Alright, well, I guess I should go. It's getting late."

Minutes after Arthur left her cubicle, Tonks turned to Kingsley with her best now-do-you-see face. "I need to work on this case! For Molly and Arthur's sake. Can't you see?"

Kingsley rolled his eyes. "Merlin, Tonks, you'll do anything to follow through on a mission, won't you?"

Tonks smirked, pulling Audrey White's file from Kingsley's lap. "You're not kidding, King. You are _not_ kidding."

* * *

Percy followed Audrey and Lynn up the stairs, into a small sitting room. The only source of light was several candles, lined up on the windowsill and clustered on the table and mantelpiece. Percy turned curiously to the latter, seeing a portrait of a sweet little girl with long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. Percy glanced sideways at Audrey (who was rummaging under what looked like a battered mattress on the floor), remembering her odd warning about the picture. Who was this girl? Aberforth's daughter?

"Ah-_ha_!" Audrey pulled out what looked like a crystal ball from under the mattress. She tossed it from hand to hand as though it was feather-light. Percy was about to ask her what the hell it was (because if she took any stock in Divination he would be forced to lose all respect and affection for her) when Audrey threw the thing up it the air. Percy let out an involuntary shout, but instead of crashing to the ground it hung it the air, and suddenly burned bright-white, illuminating the room in all its filthy glory. In fact, the only thing in the room that wasn't coated in a centimeter of dust the picture of the girl. Percy had a feeling that if he went over and sniffed it, it wouldn't smell like goats.

Lynn slowly reached out to the globe of light, stretching her long fingers out carefully as though she was afraid that it would burn her. Percy watched in amazement as Lynn touched the light, and didn't withdraw her hand. A portable, self-activating source of light without heat?

"What is this?" he asked a smirking Audrey curiously. "I've never seen one of these in the stores before…"

Audrey's smile widened to almost painful-looking proportions. "This?" she replied airily, sweeping around the room. "Oh, this is just something I whipped up myself."

Percy felt his eyebrows shoot up. He was impressed with her charm on his glasses, but this, this was incredible. "Audrey, that's ingenious. This is the kind of thing that you could sell to a store or the like and make hundreds of galleons!"

Audrey shook her head, abruptly looking embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm so sure…" Percy smiled slightly, taking a step towards her.

"No, it really is amazing…"

"A_hem_-hem," Lynn hacked loudly, and the two jumped apart. Audrey ran a hand through her hair, blushing. Percy sheepishly avoided Lynn's gaze, which was of mixed annoyance and amusement.

"Umm… all right. Why, uh, why did you want me to come here?" he stammered.

Audrey pulled a chair out from the table and sat down hard in it. Clearing her throat, Audrey responded, "I kind of just wanted you to meet Ab. He's a huge ally of mine. I've been living here since my building was destroyed, you know."

Percy gaped at her. "You're living _here_? In this filthy criminal breeding ground? I can't believe this!"

Audrey snorted. "It's not _that_ bad. And being in Hogsmeade really helps stay in the loop on Death Eater practices. Lots of them actually come here, and if they get drunk enough they spill all sorts of useful information."

"So it's a tactical move," Lynn said, giving Percy a light punch on the arm. "Come on, you can appreciate that."

Percy nodded grudgingly. "Yes…," he whined, "but the Hog's Head?" Audrey shook her head in an exasperated fashion.

"Just sit down, you," she grinned.

Percy sat down at the table with Audrey and Lynn, and gazed up at the glowing orb of light, rubbing his facial hair thoughtfully.

_Merlin, he needed a shave…_ "Audrey?"

"Hmm?"

"Where'd you go to school?"

Audrey turned in surprise at the question. "What?"

Percy felt his cheeks tinge with color. _Damn his complexion! _"I was just wondering, because I heard the magical schools in the States weren't that great and yet you must have gone to one of them, and you're obviously extremely apt at magic. It takes a lot of skill to design your own spells."

"Let's see…I went to a school in Washington State, Resson Academy. It wasn't a bad school, really." She let out a chuckle. "I got kicked out in my seventh year, though. Never got my N.E.W.T.s."

Percy felt his jaw drop. "You got _expelled_?! For what?"

Audrey tossed her hair, grinning shamelessly. "I decided I didn't like the conditions that the poor beasts for Care of Magical Creatures class were being kept in, so I decided I'd pull a little jail break."

"You didn't." Percy whispered.

"I did. Hippogriffs, flaming salamanders, thestrals, doxies, pixies, knarls," Audrey recited laughing more with each one. "All just _streaking_ over the grounds." Percy was staring at her in horror. "Some of them even got into the school." Percy's hands flew to his mouth as Lynn broke out laughing. "One of the, ah, crups," Audrey tried to force out through her laughter, "got into the Transfiguration teachers office and chewed off his pajamas, just clean off and when a group of seventh years came in for an early tutoring session…" she collapsed into laughter completely and couldn't go on. Lynn was laughing nearly as hard meanwhile Percy's mouth was wide open in horror, the only thought going through his head: _I can't believe I fell for the female embodiment of Fred and George!_

After all three of them had calmed down a little, Percy choked out, "I can't—_believe_—you did that!"

Audrey laughed, wiping her eyes. "I didn't know it would get so out of hand!"

"But, Audrey!" he wailed, like it was the worst thing in the world. "You never got your N.E.W.T.s!"

"Oh whatever," Audrey replied, shaking her head. "I got my O.W.L.s, after all. 13 of them."

Percy felt all the color drain from his face until he was as white as a ghost. "I only got 12 O.W.L.s," he whispered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sheer volume of the roaring laughter echoing from the upper room in that moment made Aberforth sure the Death Eaters were going to come and kill them all.


	13. Pretty in Pink

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language._

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I can't believe I have so many! I thought maybe one person would read this story, two tops._

_Note:__ I'm not really sure how old Marcus Flint is supposed to be in the books, but I needed a Slytherin Captain for before the first book so I chose him. If anyone knows his age, or knows someone better for the job, leave a review with the info, please, and I'll replace it. _

_In my mind, this is Lee's first Quidditch game as commentator…_

Chapter 13

"I can't believe you, Audrey. I just can't," Percy said, shaking his head. It had been several minutes since Audrey had finished telling her story, and Percy had been sitting in horror as Lynn and Audrey laughed themselves silly.

"What, the O.W.L.s? Perce, I'm sure the classes at my school we easier than at—"

"No, not that," Percy cut in quickly, not wanting to think about _that_. "I mean the creatures. Letting them loose like that…someone could have been hurt!"

"Oh come on, Perce, can you just stop being a spoil sport for a second?" Audrey was rolling her eyes at him. "It's not like you never broke the rules at _your_ school."

"I didn't," Percy replied haughtily, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "I can proudly say I never broke the rules at my school."

"Really?" Audrey said skeptically.

"Of course." Percy replied, wearing the answer like a badge of honor. "I was respectful of the establishment."

Lynn was shaking her head with a chuckle. "That is such a lie, Percy."

"It is not!" he protested. "I've never broken the rules, ever!"

"Oh, yeah? What about that thing in your fourth year, my third? With the Slytherin Quidditch team?" Lynn asked, smiling at him.

"The thing with the Slytherin Quidditch team?" Audrey inquired, raising her eyebrows expectantly at him.

Percy felt his blood run cold. _I knew that would come back to haunt me. _"That was a mistake. I was fourteen, a child. I didn't know what I was doing."

"Oh? Cause I got the idea you knew exactly what you were doing," Lynn said, smirking confidently at him.

Percy was struggling for a suitable explanation now. "It was a childish lark, a youthful indiscretion," he said dismissively.

"Uh-huh?" Lynn stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "So you regret it?"

"Absolutely. I wish I had never done it."

"Right. So why are you smiling, then?" Lynn grinned.

Percy could feel his lips turning upward, but couldn't help it. Merlin, he was barely biting down a laugh! "It's just… the looks on their _faces_…"

Audrey leaned forward excitedly. "Okay, I have_ got_ to hear this."

Percy caught Lynn's eye and they both smiled, recalling the memory.

_Seven years ago. _

_Lynn hurried down the corridor, arms aching from the weight of her books. The bright yellow light of the Saturday morning was leaking into the hall, creating rectangles of sunshiny warmth on the stone. Students were filtering around her, talking and laughing, enjoying the beautiful beginning of the weekend and getting excited for the upcoming Quidditch match. _

_But Lynn wasn't having any of it. It was two months into her third year at Hogwarts and, since she took the maximum number of classes available to her age, she was busier than ever. In fact, she hadn't seen her best friend in days, they were both so overloaded with work._

_Speak of the devil. Lynn grinned as the familiar, red-headed, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley swept out of the Great Hall and smiled at her. "Good morning, Lynn," he said warmly. _

_Lynn carefully looked up into his face, narrowing her eyes as she searched for any new bruises or cuts on the pale skin there. She knew that Percy was being bullied again, only this time it was by the Slytherins (especially the "broomstick monkeys" as they called the Quidditch players) and it was a lot worse than just tripping and name-calling. Lynn had spent many nights healing her best friend's wounds by herself, as he refused to go to the Hospital Wing. She was surprisingly good at it for someone so young, but that didn't change how bad she felt for Percy. _

_But he seemed fine today. In fact, he was acting happier than she had seen him in weeks. Maybe it was because today was the long-awaited Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match, and they would have the whole castle to themselves to hang out and study while everyone else was out at the pitch. _

"_Hi, Percy," she responded, returning his smile. She shifted her books, trying to relieve the pain in her arms, and beamed as Percy took several of them to carry for her. "Thanks. Anyway, I was thinking we'd go to the Common Room to study. I know we usually go to the library, but the Common Room is cozier and it will be empty with everyone at the match." _

_Percy's smile widened and he adjusted his glasses. "Actually, I was thinking we'd go to watch the match instead."_

_Lynn felt her jaw drop in amazement. "Wh-what?" she stammered. Percy _hated_ Quidditch, always talking about what a waste of time it was and how much better the school marks would be if they didn't let students waste their lives tossing around balls while flying on bewitched cleaning utensils. He could rant about it for hours if you let him (which Lynn often did, as it was so damn entertaining). _

"_Yes. Here, let me take the rest of your books, I have my bag." Lynn was gaping at Percy as he lifted the books from her arms and tucked them into his bag before hefting it on his shoulder and setting off down the corridor. "Come on, we want to get good seats."_

_Lynn, finding her feet, hurried after him. "Um, what exactly prompted this want to watch sports, Perce?" _

_Percy's face was set into a huge smile, which made Lynn want to laugh and feel very nervous at the same time. "Oh, I don't know. I just feel like the Inter-House Quidditch rivalry is such an important part of our educational experience here at Hogwarts, don't you?"_

_Lynn was seriously beginning to worry about Percy's sanity at this point. She decided to toss out a little something, to make sure he was really okay. "What the hell is going on with you?" she asked loudly._

_Percy frowned at her use of a curse word. "You shouldn't swear, Lynn. It's very unbecoming for someone your age, and it reflects badly on character. Do you want to be made prefect or not?"_

_Lynn let out a sigh of relief. At least she could be sure this was really Percy. "But really, why do you want to go to the match? You don't care about Quidditch." _

_They were walking side-by-side now, and had just reached the grounds. Percy raised a hand to shield his gaze from the sun. "It's just… this is Charlie's last year at Hogwarts. And as the year goes on, I'll be getting busier and busier. This might be my last chance to see him play." _

_Lynn nodded, looking down at the ground so that she wouldn't trip over the terrain. It seemed like a reasonable explanation and yet… Lynn wasn't buying it. He had never been out to watch Charlie play before. Deciding she would wait and see, Lynn fell into step behind Percy as the red-head began to climb up the stairs to the top of the Gryffindor section of the bleachers surrounding the pitch. _

"_Get out of my way, Prissy!" _

_Lynn felt Percy bump into her as he was shoved aside. A chesty, blond seventh-year girl had just pushed past them, elbowing her way to the front of the stands. Lynn heard Percy let out a small scoff of anger, and she joined him. _

_Beth Hanner was Charlie's girlfriend, and the most repulsive girl at Hogwarts. She was vapid, rude, obsessed with her looks and horribly mean to Percy. Beth was, well, she was a nasty word that rhymed with witch and that Percy would kill her for saying. She honestly didn't know what Charlie (who seemed nice enough, in his own way) saw in that girl. Actually, strike that, she did know what Charlie liked about Beth, but it wasn't so much in her as it was in her copious bra. _

_Lynn made a little noise of disgust and she watched Beth bounce down the stands. She leaned over to Percy and muttered, "For Merlin's sake, how does she walk with those things? You'd think she'd fall forward or something." _

_Percy just shook his head and pulled himself up onto one of the seats, on the edge, far away from the rest of students. It wasn't really necessary, though; with all the excitement in the air, no one was paying any attention to them. _

_After several minutes, Lynn checked her watch. "The match should have started already," she mused. Turning to Percy, she saw that his face was once again set in a huge smile. "What?" she asked something dawning on her. "What did you do?" _

_Percy raised his hands, palms out, in a don't-ask-me kind of way. Once again, Lynn wasn't buying it. Lowering her voice, she asked again, "What did you do!?"_

_Percy just shook his head. "Nothing," he said earnestly, and before she could retort he stood up, trying to see out on the pitch where something was going on. Nearly everybody else in the stands was doing the same. Pushing her way to the front, Lynn leaned over the edge to see the field. _

_The Gryffindor team was huddled on the edge of the pitch, clutching their broomsticks and muttering to each other. Charlie, in full crimson and gold Quidditch robes, was shouting at the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, a very angry Marcus Flint, who was only wearing trousers and undershirt. Madam Hooch stood in between them, trying to break up their fight. _

_The commentator's voice crackled to life, booming through the stadium. "_THE SLYTHERIN TEAM HAS YET TO COME OUT, AND IT APPEARS THAT THE TWO CAPTAINS ARE HAVING AN ARGUMENT ON THE PITCH!_" _

_Lynn slapped her hands over her ears. Dear Merlin, that was loud! _

"_MR. JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall hollered over the sound of the crowd. "I ASSURE YOU THAT WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT SOUND SYSTEM. KINDLY STOP SHOUTING INTO THE MICROPHONE!!" _

"_Er… sorry Professor. Anyway, captains Weasley and Flint are having an argument on the pitch. Let's see, I believe Flint is telling Madam Hooch that his team can't be expected to play like this… oh, yes, maybe they'll forfeit…" _

"_MR. JORDAN, YOU MUST REMAIN IMPARTIAL!!" _

"_Right, sorry. Anyway, I think we've gotten to the bottom of the delay. Flint is now appealing to Madam Hooch to postpone the match…" _

_There was a collective shout of outrage from around the stadium. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws all hated the Slytherin Quidditch team. The Gryffindor team had started jeering at Flint, waving their broomsticks impatiently and yelling for him to hurry up and get ready to play. Lynn craned her neck, trying to tell what Charlie and Flint were saying to Madam Hooch. _

_Lee Jordan's voice boomed through the grounds again. "And… it appears that Madam Hooch has denied their appeal!" Cheers rang through the stands, crimson and gold flashing from every direction. "Good for you, Hooch, that'll show them!"_

"_MR. JORD—"_

"_Right, right. Impartial. Sorry, Professor McGonagall." _

_Pandemonium was breaking out in the stadium. Most people were roaring and stomping their feet, screaming for the match to start. The Slytherins were protesting and howling favoritism, demanding that the match be postponed, even though they didn't know why. Lynn was starting to get a bit scared, glancing around at the chaos. Someone was going to get hurt. She grabbed Percy's arm and retreated to the back of the bleachers. "What's going on, Percy?" she hissed, and growled in frustration as he shrugged, the big, stupid smile still on his face. "Don't give me that—I know you know!" _

"_We're missing it!" Percy shouted. He hurried back, climbing on top of one of the seats to better see the pitch. Gasping, Lynn leapt up next to him. _

_Flint was storming off the pitch and back into the locker rooms. After several minutes of very loud anticipation, the Slytherin team came streaming onto the pitch. _

_For about ten seconds, there was a stunned silence. And then the stadium burst into painfully loud laughter. Flint swung around to face the Gryffindor section of the crowd, screaming what looked like "I'LL KILL YOU!" but his voice couldn't be heard over the laughter. _

_Lynn turned to Percy, mouth wide. "You didn't," she whispered. "You couldn't."_

_Percy's smile was almost literally running from ear to ear. "Just wait," he said. Lynn gawked blankly at him in disbelief, until Lee Jordan began to speak again, desperately trying to choke the names of the Slytherin players out through his laughter. _

"_B-beaters… Derrick and Bole…" _

"_CONTROL YOURSELF, MR. JORDAN!" bellowed McGonagall, but Lynn could swear she heard a touch of a chuckle in the Transfiguration teacher's voice. And she couldn't blame her. _

_Because all the Slytherin players—every last one of one—were wearing _hot pink_ Quidditch robes, the color of which was spectacularly matched by the blush on their faces. _

_The captains stepped up, looking like they were trying to kill each other with a handshake, even though Charlie was practically doubled over with laughter. Hooch blew the whistle, and the game commenced. Some of the laughter died down, so Lynn looked at Percy and said in a rapid-fire whisper, "I can't believe this! Did you do this? How did you pull this off?" Suddenly, Lynn remembered something. "After class last Monday! You were asking Professor Flitwick about how to bewitch clothing!"_

_Percy was staring straight ahead, looking like he was desperately trying to hold down a laugh himself. "Wait, give it time…"_

_Lynn gaped a little longer at him, and then back out at the pitch, where one of the Gryffindor chasers had just scored a goal._

"_10 to 0. Gryffindor scores!" Lee shouted, and the crowd burst out cheering and laughing as the Slytherin's hot pink robes began to flash crimson and gold. _

_Lynn stared in amazement and admiration at Percy's profile as he gazed out at the field, watching the match. The Gryffindors easily took the lead with the Slytherins mortified with embarrassment, so that when Charlie snatched the Snitch in a breath-taking dive the score was already 340-160._

"_Come on," Percy muttered to her as the crowd leapt to their feet and swarmed the pitch. "Let's go so we can beat the crowds back to the common room." _

_Lynn nodded in agreement and hurried down the stairs after Percy. They strode across the grounds, and as soon as the roar from the stadium had died down, Lynn turned to him, a thousand questions on her lips. "I can't believe that! What possessed you to do that?"_

_Percy just smirked haughtily. "I was tired of them messing with me and not being able to do anything about it. I hope this teaches them a lesson." _

"_But, Percy, if they ever find out it was you—"_

"_They won't. Who would suspect poor, rule-abiding, spineless Percy?" He shook his head, a smug look on his face like the one he got whenever he told off a rule breaker. "Flitwick might be suspicious after I asked him about it before, but he won't say anything."_

_Lynn could hardly believe Percy had done this. She half-wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him. "How'd you manage this? Why didn't the team just get new robes? How'd you get them to flash when Gryffindor scored?"_

"_It was quite the difficult fix, but I pulled it off with aplomb," Percy said pompously. "It was blanket charm on all the robes in the Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Quidditch robes, to turn pink when put on. I used Charlie's key to break into the locker rooms, so that the Slytherins couldn't find any normal robes wherever they looked. I'll have to take those off before the next match…Anyway, as for the flashing: I used a voice-code charm so it would go off when the encoded voice said 'Gryffindor scores!' I heard from Fred and George that their friend Lee was doing the commentating, so I got him to say the words and recorded them for the charm."_

_Lynn could do nothing but stare in admiration at her best friend until they reached the common room and went up to Percy's dormitory to study. Soon enough, they heard the cacophonous noise coming from downstairs that signaled the celebrations had become. They both went over to the door for a few seconds to watch the festivities. Someone had brought up butterbeer and food from the kitchen and the students were mobbing the players, especially Charlie. _

"_When I find out who did that to the Slytherin robes, they're going to be my best friend for life!" shouted someone, and the common room rang in agreement. Percy slowly closed the door and returned to his books._

"_You're not going to tell them it was you, are you?" Lynn asked, leaning against the door frame. _

_Percy shook his head, looking pensive. "They'd never believe me if I did." _

_Lynn sighed and sat back down next to him to continue her Runes translations, her open textbook propped up against Percy's. They worked together into the night, while the noise from the common room gradually went down. _

_A question popped into Lynn's head. "Hey Perce?"_

_Percy's blue eyes popped up over his advanced Arithmancy textbook. "Yes?" _

"_How did you practice those spells? I mean, you couldn't have gotten them so perfectly on the first try."_

_Percy just turned his gaze back to his books, expression smug again. "Oh, you know," he said, and left it at that. Lynn considered pressing him, but decided not to. _

_At nearly midnight, Lynn gathered up her books, said good-night to Percy and headed to the staircase for the girl's dormitories. She was roughly shoved aside as Beth Hanner ran down the hallway and collapsed crying into Charlie's arms, howling that all her clothes had turned various shades of hot pink, and flashed red and gold whenever she spoke. _

_Lynn fell asleep smirking that night. It was a little unnerving, however, when she saw Percy the next day, telling off Fred and George with a completely genuine look of disapproval on his face for praising the prankster who was responsible for the great Flying Pink Snakes Quidditch Match of '91. _

***

After the story, Audrey laughed heartily and clapped her hand on Percy's shoulder. "I knew you had it in you, Perce, I knew it."

Percy shook his head. "I still can't believe I did that. I don't know how I managed to muster the nerve to pull it off, honestly." _Says the man aiding fugitives every day at work, _he thought to himself.

Lynn grinned. "Well, it was the best Quidditch match I ever went to."

"Yeah…" Audrey leaned back in her chair, suddenly looking thoughtful. "Did either of you go to the Quidditch World Cup three years ago?"

"I did," Percy said as Lynn shook her head. "My mum talked me into it, saying how it would be a good opportunity to bond with my brothers." Percy stifled a snort at that idea. "Awful how it ended, wasn't it?"

Audrey nodded. "It was. I went, you know. I remember when the Death Eaters came. I stormed the crowds, trying to break them up."

Percy sat up straighter. "So did I." He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to recall that night, wondering if he saw a curly-haired woman weaving through the masses, shooting spells and tripping up the men in masks, illuminated by pale green glow of the Dark Mark. "One of the Death Eaters hit me in the nose," he muttered, eyes still closed.

There was a moment of silence before he heard Audrey say, "That is so you, Percy. Punched in the face by a rogue Death Eater."

His eyes flew open as there were several loud crashes and shouts from downstairs. He felt Lynn's nails bite his skin as she grabbed his arm. Audrey leapt to her feet, surreptitiously pulled back the curtain and glanced out the window, paling as she did so. Feeling panic blossom in his chest, Percy scurried into place behind her.

Out on the street, a group of a several black-cloaked wizards and witches had gathered out in front of the pub, banging on the door and yelling.

And they didn't look friendly.

* * *

_Couldn't keep it light and happy forever, could I? Anyway, next chapter coming up is: "Broken Bottle" _


	14. Broken Bottle

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language._

_A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! _

Chapter 14

While Tonks was sitting in her cubicle, the last Auror in the office, pouring over Audrey White's file, the young woman in question was peering out a window in outer Hogsmeade at an oncoming onslaught of angry Death Eaters, wondering if they were about to break in and find her and her friends. Tonks, of course, knew nothing of this, and was simply looking for the answer to a mystery and a way to potentially save the life of the third Weasley son.

* * *

Percy's grip on the windowsill was tight and painful as he gazed out the window at the Death Eaters pounding on Aberforth's door. "What's going on?" he whispered to Audrey. "Why are they here?"

"I don't know," Audrey whispered back, extinguishing the orb of light. "Shh!" Carefully, the young woman slid the window open a crack, all of them wincing at the creak it made. Cool wind blew through into the sitting room, bringing with it the sound of the Death Eater's voices.

"Open up, Dumbledore! Open the damn door!" Percy felt himself flinch, and it had nothing to do with the fact Lynn's nails had dug at least a centimeter into his flesh.

"Do you think they know that you're staying here?" Percy asked quietly.

Audrey shot him a shut-up-already look just as Aberforth's gruff voice sounded.

"What the hell do you idiots want? I've already closed up, as designated by _your_ curfew."

Even from his awkward vantage point, Percy could see an icy smile spread across the speaking Death Eater's face. "We just want to talk. Mind if we come in?" The entire group of wizards and witches pushed their way into the bar, and the room where Percy, Audrey and Lynn stood was washed in silence. As if by unspoken order, the three of them positioned themselves by the door, wands out and ready for a fight.

Percy tried to put on his brave face, but he felt sick with fear. The Sorting Hat had obviously made a huge mistake by putting his cowardly arse in Gryffindor. "We're going to die," he muttered to himself. "We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die…"

"Stop saying that!" Lynn hissed sharply.

"It's reverse psychology," Percy said matter-of-factly before continuing his mantra. "We're going to die, we're going to die…"

They stood there, frozen in fear and anticipation for what felt like hours before they heard Aberforth's voice floating up the stairs. "You three can unclench up there, they left…"

"Oh my God!" burst out Audrey, collapsing on one of the chairs. "I thought we were done for."

Percy tried to catch his breath, in full agreement with her. Forsaking chairs all together, Percy slid down the wall and sat on the floor, shaken.

"Jeez," Audrey mumbled. "Nothing like the threat of a Death Eater attack to really kill the mood." They all sat there for several shaky seconds before Audrey finally leapt to her feet, heading for the door. "Let's see what that was all about."

Percy groaned slightly as the competing smells of liquor and goats once again assailed his nose as they emerged in the dingy bar. Aberforth was in his usual position, hunched behind the bar, wiping slow circles on its surface that really weren't doing anything to clean it. Percy gazed around the room, looking for any sign of a struggle. There were none, however; except for the fact the stale air was choked with dust.

"Are you all right?" Audrey asked, moving forward to rest her arms on the bar. Lowering her voice, and glancing around—as if the Death Eaters were hiding in the walls—she added, "What did they want? Did they know you were, you know, harboring a fugitive? Because I'm wanted in, like, three countries—"

"No, girly," Aberforth growled, picking up his old filthy rag and wiping out some used glances. "They would never shut my place down; where would they traffic their potions and get slobbering drunk? Oh, don't give me that look, boy," he shot at Percy, who was making a face at the description. "You aren't too high and mighty to be rubbing up against one of the most criminal minds to ever come out of North America."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Please, Ab, you flatter. And I'm actually only wanted in two countries, Puerto Rico's a territory…"

"Because that's so much better," Percy muttered, dragging a nail across a nearby rotten wood table. He yelped slightly as Audrey smacked him upside the head, nearly knocking off his glasses.

Aberforth shot them an annoyed look before continuing. "They were just dropping in for their usual visit. They watch me, 'cause I'm a Dumbledore."

"Of course," Percy said sarcastically without thinking. "As you're so much like your brother."

Percy's eyes widened as Aberforth turned to face him full-on, exposing the entirety of his not-to-becoming mug. "You one of those students that all think the sun shines out of Albus's every orifice?"

Percy swallowed, feeling uncomfortable with everyone's gazes trained on him. "Not exactly," he grunted, thinking about how much he really didn't like the Headmaster. Aberforth gave him a calculating look through piercing blue eyes. _Merlin, they're identical to Dumbledore's… _

An awkward silence settled over the dim room. It was suddenly broken as Lynn's pager went off. She pulled it off her hip, cursing. "Sorry, I have to go. Emergency at Mungo's." She looked around frantically, heading for the door. "What's the best way out of here?"

"I'll help you," offered Audrey, walking towards the door. Percy was just about to speak up and ask if he should come when he felt Audrey's hand slide across his side in a quick touch that could _not_ have been accidental. He fell abruptly silent.

As the two young women applied Disillusionment Charms and the door opened and clicked shut a few seconds later. After the skin where Audrey had touched him stopped tingling, Percy felt immediately uncomfortable, alone in the dark, smelly room with Aberforth, who was studying him intently.

"Uh…" Percy stammered, swallowing hard and trying to come up with something to say to break the tension. Aberforth shifted a little at the noise but didn't do anything else to acknowledge his attempt.

"Come with me, boy," he suddenly grunted, making Percy flinch in surprise. "Upstairs, I want to show you something."

Percy briefly considered refusing—not wanting to be in an even more enclosed space with the strange old man—but Aberforth was already climbing the steps and, well, he was curious. Moving his wand to his front pocket (just in case), Percy followed him up the stairs, treading lightly as to not make a sound.

As Aberforth entered the room, Audrey's brilliant light burst into life above the table again, and Percy once again marveled at its ingenuity. Aberforth sat down heavily in one of the chairs, turning his gaze forward, towards the mantelpiece. Percy followed his example, taking in the vapid sweetness of the enigmatic little girl.

"Did Audrey tell you anything about her? The girl in the picture?"

Percy furrowed his brow in thought at the question, wondering how to respond to best not anger the man. He decided on the truth. "She told me not to ask you about her. Told me that it was the last thing I wanted to do around you."

Aberforth let out a chuckle. "That girl knows me too well, she does." Percy wanted to ask more, but he decided against it, knowing that the man would talk if he wanted to talk and only when he wanted to talk.

"She's my little sister, Arianna."

_Oh. I didn't…_ "Why is she so young in the portrait?" Percy croaked out, knowing the answer long before Aberforth spoke.

"She died that age, when I was just a teenager."

"Oh," was all Percy could think to say. He was feeling queasy.

Aberforth smirked a bit. "Glad you didn't say 'I'm sorry'. Annoys the bloody hell out of me, how people always do that."

Percy stared at man in front of him, seeing him in a different light. He wasn't just a gruff old drunk anymore; he was lost and bitter, mourning the loss of a little sister who died decades ago.

"Come on," Aberforth said suddenly, standing up and dragging Percy out of his thoughts. "Let's go downstairs. I need a drink."

Percy followed him numbly back to the pub, watching silently as Aberforth pulled out two disgusting glasses and began rooting around for something to drink. Percy expected to have some comment on the quality of the glass, but found he couldn't bring himself to care. He slowly lowered himself onto one of the barstools, ignoring how cheap it made him feel. His feet weren't even touching the ground.

Aberforth poured them each a generous portion of some red, smoking liquor that Percy guessed was firewhiskey. He didn't know, he had never had it; mostly he stuck to muggle drinks so there was no chance of someone from work seeing him buy alcohol.

"It seems a bit strong for my taste," Percy muttered.

"Shut up and drink," growled Aberforth. _Merlin, he was good at growling things._

Percy obeyed, feeling his eyes water and his glasses fog up as the liquid burned its way down his throat. It actually felt pretty good, once you got over the initial shock.

Aberforth stared at him as he poured himself another round, taking a fiery sip. "Aren't you going to ask how she died?" he inquired, refilling his own glass.

"No. I figure you'll tell if you want to tell me." Percy hissed slightly as another round of whiskey set his mouth aflame. He could feel himself becoming a little light-headed. _You're getting drunk, _an insistent voice chided in the back of his head. _You won't do well drunk, put that drink down!_

_Oh, shut up already, killjoy. _Percy filled his glass up to the brim, his hands shaking. Little droplets splattered the bar, burning holes in the wood. Percy giggled a bit at the thought of that blazing liquid corroding his insides. Ouch.

"Well, you're right. And I'll tell you. She was murdered." Percy didn't react, just watched the firewhiskey swishing in his glass. Pretty colors; red, orange and crimson swirling and melding, like a Confunded sunset. Could you Confund a sunset? "What, nothing? I told you my little sister was murdered, and you just sit there?"

Percy let out a wheezy scoff, swearing he saw smoke coming out of his own mouth. "In this day and age, isn't everybody you know murdered? Seriously, who was the last person you know who died of natural… you know… stuff." _Stuff? Merlin's left buttock, I'm losing my mind. _Percy caught sight of the remaining firewhiskey in the bottle. There was lots of it. _Oh, well. Who needs a mind, anyway? _

Aberforth chuckled. "You've really hit in on the nose there, kid." He went quiet for a little. Percy didn't mind one bit.

More pouring, more sloshing, more swirling colors. More burning down his throat and warmth in his stomach.

"I blame Albus."

"Hmm what?" Percy slurred, trying to remember who this Albus was. Something to do with Acid Pops...

"Albus Dumbledore, my brother, you dimwit. I was being attacked by one of his friends when it happened. Albus ran in and curses were flying and she got hit. Dead, right there on the ground."

Something clicked in Percy's head, dragging him a tiny amount out of his drunken stupor. "Then he could have killed her…"

"Yeah, that just occur to you?"

"But he was always so happy…" Percy tried to imagine what it would be like if Fred or George or Ron got into a fight with a friend of his and Ginny ended up was _not good_.

He was feeling quite light-headed, like he was rising, floating, flying… flying, that was interesting… he'd never been worth anything on a broomstick. In first year flying classes, he had ended up crashing in the Forbidden Forest.

"I almost got killed by centaurs…" he grumbled, then burst out in high-pitched laughter.

"Nasty buggers," agreed Aberforth.

"I'll drink to _that_." Percy raised his glass and Aberforth did the same. Percy tried to clink them together but missed, pitching forward and splashing firewhiskey all over everything. Ab threw back his head and guffawed like it was the end of the world.

Percy felt oddly comfortable stretched out on the filthy ground. He sucked in a deep breath. Mmmmm… goats. Aberforth lowered down the near empty bottle and Percy drank straight from it, forgoing a glass altogether. He dragged himself back unto the stool again, groaning.

"You buggering Audrey, dimwit?"

"No. We're just friends," Percy muttered dejectedly through a mouthful of firewhiskey.

"Huh. You _ever _been more than friends with a woman? Doubt it."

"Hey!" Percy slurred. "That it not true. I had a girlfriend in school, and we did things of the _intimate_ nature." _Oh Merlin, did I just say that to a complete stranger?_

"_Intimate?_"

"Oh, you're one to talk. What are you, like a hundred and no wife? I don't see any sort of feminine touch around here." Percy wildly pedaled his arms around the room. "Unless, of course, the thing about Audrey said about you and goats was true…"

As Aberforth shoved him off the chair, his last thought was how _painful_ it was to land headfirst on a hard pub floor, and how pretty thousands of tiny shards of glass from a broken bottle sound as they shatter on the floor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_Next chapter coming up is "Empty". _


	15. Empty

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language. _

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. It really inspires me to write more!_

Chapter 15

When Percy woke up and opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was how blurry the world was. As an automatic reflex, he reached out to the right, groping for the nightstand table where his glasses usually rested. His hand only met empty air, though, and it fell to the floor surprisingly easy, like he was barely a foot off the ground.

_What the…_ As Percy sat up, another sensation shot through him. Pain. Merlin, his head hurt! Where the hell were his glasses? Percy dropped his head into his hands; nothing had ever been this painful!

"Morning, sunshine. How ya feeling?"

The words caused earthquakes of agony to shoot through his head. _Holy fucking Merlin. What's wrong with me? _"It feels like an Erumpet horn exploded inside my skull…" he groaned.

"Yeah, well," the voice continued, grating itself against Percy's skull. "That's what you get for downing an entire bottle of the strongest firewhiskey known to man."

Memories of last night flooded back into Percy's head. Down in the pub with Aberforth, the bottle, firewhiskey… Merlin there had been so much firewhiskey! What the hell had he been thinking!? Percy shot up upright, clutching at his aching head. "Where am I?" he gasped frantically.

"In Ab's sitting room," came the cheerful answer, much much _much_ too loudly. "Here." The blurry, unidentifiable figure stretched out towards him, holding something. After a few tries, Percy managed to grab it them. His glasses. He shoved them on his face and looked up at his noisy savior.

"There we go," Audrey cooed at him from where she sat on a chair, grinning. "Better?"

In response, Percy moaned and buried his face in the mattress he was lying on.

"Come on, Perce, don't be such a baby. It's just a hangover. I thought you drank a lot."

Despite the effort formulating words took, Percy managed to choke out, "A glass or two at most. Nothing strong."

"Well, that stuff you downed is known on the streets liquid fire." Audrey laughed. "You were so drunk."

Percy pushed up his glasses and pressed on his painful eyes. He sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, smelling something…sweet?

"Was I sick?" he asked, horrified.

He could hear a smirk in Audrey's voice. "Surprisingly? No. I guess you Weasleys have iron stomachs. What you smell, dear friend, is blood. When I came back, you and Ab were having a heated, very slurred discussion about centaur law—I believe your idea was to give them those ah, "eastern communist countries"— and you were bleeding all over your arms and chest and neck from the pieces of glass from the firewhiskey bottle."

Percy wanted to shake his head, but was afraid it would be too painful. "I don't remember that," he groaned. "I have absolutely no memory after Aberforth told me…" Percy broke off.

Audrey dropped from the chair and onto her knees on the floor next to him. "Wait, what did he tell you?"

"About… his sister."

"Oh," Percy watched through red, bloodshot eyes as Audrey swallowed. "Yeah… I, I was going to tell you. Later, I mean. But… I can't believe he told you." A wry smile twisted her lips. "Ab must really like you. Which is odd, considering how much he hates Ministry workers."

"The Ministry!" Percy tried to drag himself to his feet. "I-I'm going to be late! Oh no, oh NO."

"Relax, Percy. I pretended to be your girlfriend and called you in sick." Audrey put her hands on his chest, trying to push him back onto the mattress.

"But I've _never _called in sick a day in my career, what will they—"

Percy stopped immediately, eyes widening and cheeks reddening. Because he wasn't wearing a shirt and her hands were on his _bare chest_. And that struck a chord, even in his hungover state.

"Uh, Audrey?" he began, fighting down embarrassment. "Where's my shirt?" Quick glance down to check if he was stilling wearing pants. He was. Should he be disappointed?

Audrey's hands flew off his pale skin as if they had been burned. "Oh, um, here." She whirled around, picking it up off the table and handing it to him. "I, uh, took it off to heal the cuts on your chest."

"Right." Percy said hurriedly. "Right. Of course. I should have guessed."

Percy knew something was up when he saw Audrey blushing, not just grinning and making some flippant comment. Not for the first time, Percy wondered what would have happened if he had actually managed to deliver those roses weeks before…

Trying to break the tension, Percy said loudly "Merlin, my head hurts," at the same time Audrey spewed "Oh, boy, awkward."

They both smiled sheepishly. "Here," Audrey replied, handing him a bottle. "Water. Drink up, I'm 65 to 90 percent sure it will help."

After self-consciously slipping on his shirt, Percy warily accepted the bottle. "65 to 90 what?"

"Percent. I guess you don't… it's a muggle thing."

Audrey's phone suddenly rang, making them both jump. "Gotta go." A tiny smirk curled on Audrey's lips. "Maybe you should go check on Aberforth. He's downstairs."

Audrey walked past him, into a room he hadn't noticed before. It made his head spin just to try to follow the movement. But he braced himself, holding on to the wall and various objects, trying to move downstairs. The stairs, to put it into Ayden's sort of terms, were a bitch. Percy couldn't wait, however, to see the kind of pain Aberforth was in. It was that stupid man's fault he was experiencing this "hangover"; he had poured drinks down him! Unseemly behavior for a man of business.

Aberforth was at the bar, slowly wiping it down in preparation for the new day of business. "I hope you're in great pain, Aberforth." He collapsed at one of the tables, dropping his heavy head on it.

"That's a great thing to say to an old man." Aberforth grunted.

"Because of you, I got _drunk_. I'm missing _work_. They probably went to my flat, found out it was empty and when I go back, they'll kill me on sight. No, they'll torture me first." Percy groaned again, pressing the cold bottle of water to his temple. Glancing back up, he saw that Aberforth looked perfectly normal. "Why aren't you having a hangover?" he demanded.

"Because I had a few glasses, boy, and you had more than a dozen. Because over the years I've developed a tolerance to firewhiskey, and I've seen small animals that could hold their liquor better than you."

It took everything Percy had to resist slugging the surly old man while guffawing like a maniac. He'd chalk that up to the aftereffects of the firewhiskey, not a testament to his mental fragility.

Aberforth pulled out a pair of Omnioculars and, leaning out the door of his pub, observed something off in the distance. Apparantly satisfied, he came back in and closed the door.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked, shifting the bottle to his other temple.

"Watching Hogwarts," Aberforth said, slipping the Omnioculars into a pocket in his robes. "The way I see it, if the Order is going to try to fight back, they'll attack there first."

Percy frowned. "The Order?"

"The Order of the Phoenix, boy. You've never heard of it?"

"Of course I've heard of it. I was told a lot of stories from the first war, and Fudge was obsessed with trying to figure out if they were planning something a few years ago." Percy sighed, recalling the many late nights he'd spent chasing Fudge's wild leads. "I just didn't think you would have. You seem rather… reclusive."

Aberforth snorted. "I used to be in the Order, until I got into trouble with the Ministry over some magic experimentation with goats."

Percy nodded, as if this made perfect sense.

"If I keep an eye on the school, I can tell if a fight is going down," Aberforth concluded. Percy vaguely wondered if, if such a fight happened, Aberforth would join in.

"Well… if something like that happens, could you owl me? I'd like… I'd like to know." Percy blinked in surprise as he realized he'd said such words. And even more surprised when he realized that he was waiting in anticipation for Aberforth's answer.

The old man's eyes narrowed. "You're not one of those young idiots who think that fighting and war is glamorous, are you?"

Percy shivered slightly, his murky memories of the first war rising to the surface of his mind. He'd been five years old when You-Know-Who had been destroyed the first time, but he still had horrible recollections of living every day in paralyzing fear. "No," he whispered in reply. "I don't think war is glamorous. You'd have to be a fool to believe that. But I want to help. I _need_ to help. I've got a lot of family who will undoubtedly be there if a battle does break out."

Aberforth studied him for a few seconds with those penetrating blue eyes. "Fine. I'll do that."

Before Percy could respond, Audrey swept down the stairs. "Alrighty Perce. Time to get you back to your flat, with a few Puking Pastilles, just in case the Ministry comes to check if you're really sick." Percy allowed her to drag him out of his seat and throw his hood over his head. "Bye, Ab. I think I'll be moving out now."

"I'm heartbroken, I assure you," growled Aberforth sarcastically, not looking up from the glasses he was cleaning.

Percy felt Audrey's soft breath on his cheek as she leaned in close to say, "He will miss me. He just can't find words to express it." Percy just rolled his eyes in response. "Oh, and Percy? Brace yourself."

Percy glanced at her in confusion as she pulled the door open. "Brace myself for what?" he asked. Shaking her head, Audrey shoved him out the door. "Bloody hell!" Percy screamed as the full morning daylight slapped him in the face.

Audrey just laughed, pulling him toward the cliffs by Hogsmeade. "Ah, your first hangover. I'm so proud." As they reached the edge of the rocks, Audrey turned to him, a tiny smile on her face. "By the way, Percy, do you have any plans for Christmas?

* * *

Ayden stumbled down the hallway, practically blind in the darkness. Outside of the building he was in, he could hear two muggles having a loud, drunken argument. A few gunshots sounded, and then everything went quiet.

"Lumos," he whispered shakily, and the tip of his wand lit, providing a green glow to see by. He took several steps, listening to them echo in the silence. Cobwebs hung from the dank ceiling, and the stale air caused him to have to stifle violent coughs. Out of the corner of his eye, Ayden saw a door. Whirling around so fast he nearly overbalanced, he snagged the doorknob, turned it and sprinted inside.

To find nothing. The room was completely empty. Ayden's wand slipped from his suddenly limp fingers, and he dropped to his knees, feeling hot tears well unbidden in his eyes.


	16. Happy and Merry Christmas

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Please, please forgive me for the butchering of Fleur's voice. I'm awful at writing accents!_

Chapter 16

One hand resting on the bulge in her stomach and clutching Audrey White's file, Tonks reached up with the other and rapped on the door of Shell Cottage. The wind from the rolling waves gently caressed her face; Merlin, it was beautiful place the newlyweds lived in. She wished she could be here for a purely social visit.

"Who is it?" came Bill's tense voice from inside the house. With a deep breath, Tonks prepared to launch into the prepared answer they had concocted.

"It is I, Nymphadora Tonks!" she called out. "I am a Metamorphmagus, married to Remus John Lupin. You told me to come if I ever needed anything."

The door opened and she was greeted by the scarred face of Bill Weasley, who looked worried. "It's Tonks!" he called back into the house, and then turned back to her. "Is everything all right? Are Remus and the baby okay?"

Happily, Tonks nodded. "Everything's fine. Well, I don't know if you heard about Kingsley or not. He said You-Know-Who's name and almost got captured by Death Eaters."

Bill sighed. "I did hear about that. Too close a call, if you ask me. Kingsley's one of the best, I'd hate to lose him."

"Yeah," Tonks replied solemnly.

"Let 'er een, Bill!" Fleur chided from the kitchen.

Bill smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Tonks. Come in." He stepped aside and she walked in. Fleur flashed her a dazzling, white-toothed smile, which she returned. Tonks had got the feeling that, at first, Fleur hadn't liked her very much, as Molly had basically been trying to set her up Bill. But now they were both married to different men, and it seemed the French woman was warming up to her a little.

"Et is so nice to zee you, Tonks! How is ze baby?" Fleur asked, looking very domestic as she dried her hands on her apron. Tonks barely suppressed a smirk. Fleur was obviously adjusting to married life very well. "Oour 'air eez very…intereezting today." All right, maybe not.

"Great, Fleur, and thank you," Tonks replied, trying to sound cordial as she twisted her long baby-blue hair around one hand.

"Er… what do you need?" Bill inquired, trying to ease the tension.

"It's an investigation I'm working on," she explained, raising the file. "For the Order, not the Ministry." _Okay… that's not a complete lie. _"I just wanted to ask you a few questions, is all."

"Sure," Bill responded. "Here, we'll go through to the sitting room."

Bill led her across the hall and into the kitchen, and seeing who was sitting at the table, Tonks gasped. Ron Weasley was slumped over the wooden surface, looking miserable. Tonks felt a thrill of panic; had something happened to Harry or Hermione? It was common knowledge among the Order that Ron was traveling with Harry Potter, even if every Weasley would deny it if asked. "Ron?" she squeaked.

Ron looked up, blinking in surprise at her. "Blimey, Tonks! You've gotten huge!"

Tonks rubbed a hand over her stomach. "Thanks Ron," she said sincerely. Self-consciousness wasn't part of her personality.

Bill took her arm, leading her past Ron and into the sitting room. They settled on a couple of comfortable chairs. "He left Harry and Hermione and came here," Bill whispered to her. "He feels horrible about it, though."

"Oh." Tonks didn't see that one coming. As far as she knew, the three friends were inseparable. It must have taken a lot to get Ron angry enough to abandon them. Not for the first time, Tonks wondered exactly what Harry was doing to get rid of You-Know-Who. It was a really an interesting to think about, but she had other things she needed to deal with now. "Well, anyway, I wanted to know if you recognized this woman." Tonks handed Bill the photograph of Audrey White.

He studied it for a few minutes, and then shook his head. "I don't. Who is she?"

Tonks shook her head, considering how much she should divulge to the eldest Weasley son. "That's kind of what I'm trying to figure out, to tell you the truth. Her name is Audrey White, and she's an American."

"Why are you looking for her, then?"

Tonks sighed. "I have reason to believe she's associated with your brother," she began slowly.

A tiny, if worried, smile crinkled Bill's brown eyes. "I have five brothers, Tonks. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Well, she was seen with Percy at the residential building that was attacked a few months ago."

_That_ got Bill's attention. "What? What were they doing there? That doesn't make sense. Is Percy in trouble?" he demanded.

Tonks shook her head. "I really don't know at this point. I hoped that you might be able to help me get some information."

Bill shook his head, face set in a deep frown. He seemed to be in deep thought for several minutes before saying, "Go ask Ron," and slouching back against the chair. He looked far older than his twenty-six years.

Tonks nodded and stood, walking over to where Ron sat in the kitchen. As he glanced up, she held out the photograph. "Do you recognize this woman?"

"This is a muggle photograph," commented Ron, taking it into his hands. "She's not moving."

Tonks drummed her knuckles on the table impatiently. "Yes, but does she look _familiar_, Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "No." Disappointed, Tonks took back the picture and returned it to its file. "Why?" questioned Ron warily.

"It's… for the Order. She was a muggle who got killed. We wanted to see if it was just a sport-killing, and I guess so." Tonks replied, wildly inventing a story on the spot, and not exactly sure why. Why lie to Ron and not Bill? Before Ron could say anything else, she said loudly, "I have to go home. Remus is waiting. Bye Bill!" she called out. "Bye Fleur! I hope you guys have a happy Christmas." The holiday was just a few days away, after all.

"Stay safe, Tonks," and "Au revior!" came the answers. Ron grumbled a goodbye.

Wishing she could finally catch a break in this case, Tonks stepped out into the sea breeze and disapparated.

Percy sat stiffly on his sofa, watching Audrey peruse his bookshelf. He felt oddly like he was undergoing a test of some sort, as if Audrey was vetting him based on his taste in literature. He felt a twinge in his stomach as Audrey frowned, her hand stopping on one of the titles. She pulled in out of the bookshelf.

"Oh my _God_, Percy," she exclaimed.

"What? What is it?"

She held the book toward him so that he could see the title. "'_Prefects Who Gained Power?_' Seriously, Percy?" Audrey shook her head, a mock disappointed look on her face.

"What's wrong with it?" Percy replied defensively, feeling a blush spreading up from his neck. He made a lunge for the book, but Audrey pulled it away sharply. Percy tumbled into an undignified heap on the floor.

She backed slowly across the room, opening the book. " 'We all know that school prefect is a very high honor, but in what ways is it a springboard to higher positions? This book explores the lives of hundreds of past prefects—'"

Percy leapt to his feet and tore the book from Audrey's hands, stopping her from reading aloud. "I bought this when I was just a kid!" he protested.

She rolled her eyes. "And, of course, you've gained infinite wisdom in your, what, 21 years?"

Percy scowled, returning the book to its place with a loving caress. "Well, what it says is true. Ex-prefects are more likely to have successful careers," he said pompously. "Especially ex-Head Boys like myself."

"I'm just gonna let that one go, Perce." She dropped onto his sofa, stretching. "Overall, you have a pretty awesome book collection. And besides, it's Christmas Eve."

That it was, Percy reflected happily. It had been four months since he had met Audrey, four months since he had been pulled out of the depressing hole his life had become.

"Yes, Christmas Eve," continued Audrey, gazing around. "But you have absolutely no decorations up!" She sat up, giving him an exasperated look. "No Christmas tree, Percy? Really?"

Percy sighed, sitting down next to her. "They drop needles all over the carpet," he pointed out. "And besides, the bringing of evergreen branches inside for the winter is a pagan tradition, not a Christian one."

Audrey rolled her eyes again, opening her mouth to respond.

But he was on a role, dredging up all his old knowledge of religious practices. "And besides, Jesus Christ was actually born in the summer. 'Christmas' was moved to winter to coincide with the Midwinter Feast, to protect early Christians from persecution and make the conversion from paganism to Christianity easier."

Audrey grabbed his shoulders. "Not the point, Percy. Christmas is supposed to be fun. Time spent with friends." Audrey had decided that they would all be coming over to Percy's flat to celebrate, something he had mixed feelings about. At least he wouldn't be alone or working (or both) this year.

She released him, examining his flat through splayed fingers. "It's okay. I'll deal with this. Let's see… a tree, obviously. And lights. Oh, and evergreen branches. I'll make cookies. And turkey. Actually, I should buy the turkey." Percy let his mind wander, watching Audrey's face as she went on and on excitedly about decorations. After several minutes, Percy cut in.

"Where exactly are you planning on getting these things, Audrey?" he asked good-naturedly.

She grinned. "But that's the good thing, Perce. I've already got them!"

Percy watched in amusement as she began to pull the aforementioned supplies out of her bag (which apparently had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it) and string them up all around his flat. He decided it had gone to ridiculous proportions as she dragged a 10-foot, fully decorated Christmas tree out of the bag and leaned it against the wall in the corner of the room. Percy had to admit, however, it all looked pretty good. His usually overly tidy, emotionless flat was suddenly very homely. If the tree topper had been a gnome instead of a statue of what appeared to be the famous muggle scientist Isaac Newton, it would have been just like Christmas at home.

Lynn arrived at a little past eight, fresh off a shift at St. Mungo's and happier than she had been in weeks. The three of them had been sitting on the floor, drinking pumpkin juice, butterbeer and what Audrey called 'root beer', which was little fizzy for his taste, when an owl began tapping on his window. As soon as Percy opened the window and the poor old creature dropped its package and collapsed onto the floor in a pitiful pile of gray feathers, he knew he was in trouble.

"Oh, poor thing," cooed Audrey, lifting Errol into her lap and feeding him pieces of cookies while stroking his feathers.

Percy picked up the package, feeling his heart break at the note attached to it. It was written in his mother's handwriting, although it was unusually messy. It simply read: _I love you Percy.—Mum. _Clutching the soft package—undoubtedly one of the annual, hand-knitted Weasley sweaters—Percy felt tears sting his eyes. Tearing away a corner of the brown packaging, Percy saw the purple stitching, and a small section of a golden 'P'.

"Percy?" came Lynn's voice from off in the distance, soft and concerned. A hand rested tenderly on his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," said Percy stiffly, shaking off her hand. "I'm fine." He shoved the partially opened package under the tree, and, making an excuse about having to check the cooking spell on the turkey, escaped to his kitchen area. Pulling out a scrap of parchment and a quill, he wiped his eyes and scrawled _I love you too, Mum. –Percy_ on it. He'd send it in a few hours, when Errol was rested enough to make the journey back home. Leaning over his table, Percy attempted to compose himself. He heard a knock at the door, and Audrey called out: "I'll get it!"

It was Ayden, standing at the door, holding a few brightly wrapped presents. Percy felt a thrill of jealousy as Audrey threw her arms around the young man, shouting about how she hadn't seen him for weeks. The jealousy, however, turned into pure panic as Ayden pointed upward, above their heads.

"Mistletoe," he said cheekily, wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Audrey smirked and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah… not gonna happen, stud." As Lynn ran up to greet him, Percy felt obliged to do so as well. Awkwardly, he stepped forward.

"Happy Christmas, Ayden," he said, doing his best to smile at the young man. He offered his hand for him to shake.

Ayden just stared at him for a moment, a sad look in his deep brown eyes. Percy once again sensed a profound insincerity in the grin the young man pulled onto his tired features. _He's just too good at lying, _Percy thought. "Where I come from," Ayden replied in a seemingly hearty voice, "we say 'Merry Christmas'. And there's no shame in men hugging each other." He threw his arms around Percy, who nearly gagged in surprise. When Ayden finally released him, he said, "I'm sorry I smashed your face up. I'm sure you got enough of that at school. And when you're at work." He paused in mock consideration. "And probably when you're walking down the street. Basically everywhere you go, I don't know, you just have a very punchable face—"

Audrey put a hand on Ayden's shoulder. "Enough, Ayden. At this point you're just confusing the hell out of him."

"Whatever." Ayden tore the wrapping off one of the gifts he had brought, revealing a bottle of firewhiskey. The very sight made Percy dangerously queasy. "Now, who wants to get drunk?"

"NEVER AGAIN!" shouted Percy, brain suddenly feeling inflamed as he stormed out of the room.

Lynn, Audrey and Ayden stared after him. "So he finally snapped, huh?" Ayden pulled the cork of the bottle with his teeth. "I suppose we all knew it was just a matter of time."

It was three in the morning when the party finally ended, with all the occupants of his flat collapsing with exhaustion. A half hour later, Percy woke up; realizing that he had never sent the note to his mother. Stepping silently, so as not to wake anyone, Percy entered his kitchen where good old Errol perched, snoring like Percy could never have thought an owl could snore. Hermes, who had been glaring at Errol with his yellow eyes full of disdain, leapt excitedly to attention at the sight of Percy's letter.

"Sorry, Hermes," whispered Percy, stroking the owl's ruffled feathers. "This one is going back home, so Errol has to take it." Hermes snapped angrily at his fingers as he tied the note to Errol's leg. Percy sighed. "All right, how's this? You take this package, Hermes," he said, wrapping up a few of Audrey's left over cookies, "and make sure that Errol doesn't go down on the way to the Burrow."

Hermes surveyed him haughtily for a few seconds, and then, apparently deciding that this was good enough for him, snatched up the cookies and pecked at Errol until the gray owl swept out the window. Smiling, Percy reflected on how he couldn't have possibly found an owl closer to his own personality.

_Click! _Percy whipped around, gripping the counter. He recognized that sound… _someone had opened his door!_ A dark shape, a dark _human _shape was moving across his floor, getting closer and closer to the light…

"Ayden?" Percy gasped. "What are you doing?"

Ayden was wearing his cloak and his hair was windswept, like he had been outside. His eyes were painfully red and unusually bright. Tear tracks streamed down his face. He didn't respond to Percy's comment, just stared blankly at him. Percy could feel panic rising up in his chest at the look on his face. It was so…soulless.

Ayden took several steps to the side, and Percy turned to keep him in full view. He realized what the taciturn young man had been walking towards. Percy had left his wand on the table. He felt his heart flutter wildly as Ayden picked the wand off the table, turning it over in his hands. And then, in a second, it was pointing at Percy's chest.

"What are you doing?" he choked out as Ayden stepped closer. "What?"

The wand was so close it was nearly touching Percy's chest. That's when he realized… it wasn't the tip of the wand that was pointing at him, it was the hilt. Slowly, Percy raised his hand and took the offered piece of wood.

"You don't trust me." Ayden's voice was soft, so that hearing it strained Percy's ears. "You're the smartest one here."

"What?" Percy gasped, not sure what he was hearing.

"Good night Percy. I'm sorry if I woke you." Ayden whispered, his eyes shining with tears. The man ambled back to Percy's sitting room.

Percy wasn't sure that this wasn't all a dream. So he simply went back to his bed and closed his eyes.


	17. Good Will Toward Men

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J. K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews!_

Chapter 17

Christmas morning.

Percy knew that that was what this was the second he woke up. But it was an unusual Christmas morning, because there were no screams and squeals coming from the other rooms as Ron and Ginny opened their presents. There was no Fred and George bursting into his dormitory, ready to drag him downstairs to systematically torture him through breakfast, claiming Christmas was family time.

His only three friends in the world were here, sleeping on various surfaces in his flat even though he had offered every one of them his bed. His three friends, one of which he was hopelessly in love with, another one of which he was convinced was lying to them and was responsible for the destruction of the aforementioned hopelessly-in-love-with friend's building.

Dear Merlin, he was screwed up.

Percy groaned and dragged the pillow over his head, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep before he had to get out of bed. Unfortunately, the universe stubbornly refused to comply with his wish.

"Percy! Percy, wake up!" Audrey's panicked voice penetrated his half-asleep state. He wrenched his eyes open, seeing her blurred face. She shoved his glasses on his face, so that he could fully appreciate the look of urgent horror on her face. "Percy, get up, we need to go!"

Audrey tore his blankets off of him, dragging him out of bed. "What?" he said groggily. "What happened?"

Percy reached out to the clothes he had lain out on his desk, but Audrey grabbed the front of his pajama top and pulled him into the next room. "There's no time!" he hissed. "The Death Eaters found one of the stations where we were keeping the muggle-borns. They're under attack. We need to go!"

Alarmed, Percy nodded, pulling his wand out. Lynn and Ayden rushed into the room, only to disapparate together before Percy could speak to them. He felt Audrey grab his arm in a vice-like grip and spin him around, and he was pressed into suffocating darkness for a terrifying minute.

Suddenly, he was released from the tight, oppressive tunnel but it was still dark and he still couldn't manage to get a breath of fresh air. Because the air here was filled with smoke. Wheezing, Percy spun around.

Just meters away from them, a building was going up in flames, billowing smoke and spewing fiery sparks. The air was filled with the sounds of panic; crackling fire, voices screaming in pain and panic, feet trampling earth. Bright lights streaked through the dark, heavy air as spells were shot in every direction. Dozens of desperate, fear-filled people were running past him, some bleeding and burnt, falling to the ground and struggling to get back up. Audrey's voice was breaking under strain as she tried to scream orders.

"Run to the woods! Don't stop for anything!" she was hollering, but no one could hear her. As Audrey, Ayden and Lynn sprinted past him in different directions, he quickly lost sight of them in the bedlam. He was alone.

As he stood, momentarily stunned in horror at the scene in front of him, he first saw one of the enemies, the people who wrecked this havoc. Percy raised his wand as a monstrous figure, cloaked entirely in black, tried to charge past him.

With a slash of his wand and a cry of "Stupefy!" the man crumpled to the ground. Percy felt a shot of adrenaline snap through his body, giving him strength, egging him onward, taking away his fear. He raced across the ground, dodging the panicked escapees of the burning building and plumes of fire, towards where more black-cloaked figures were standing. One of them whipped around and, spotting him, let loose a jet of solid blue light. Percy countered immediately, drawing up a shield between himself and the man. All his old dueling classes were coming back to him. The spell ricocheted back, slamming into the Death Eater, who collapsed into spasms as Percy continued to lope towards the group. One down, three to go.

Almost simultaneously, they all shot curses at him. He raised the magical shield again to protect himself, only this time the combined power of all three spells was too much and he was blown backward, flying, flying as the world somersaulted before his eyes and then _smack!_ he hit the ground with a terrifying crunch that could have been his glasses or his bones. All air broke free of his lungs, and pain took over his body as he tried to right himself. His right fist clenched, and Percy felt a stab of pure, paralyzing fear as he realized the blow had knocked his wand out of his hand. He was completely defenseless, lying prone on the ground as the dark silhouettes of the three victorious Death Eaters loomed over him.

A wand was pointed at him in the darkness as he heard a cold voice whisper, "Mud-blood lover…" and then, just as Percy truly believed he was seeing death for the first and last time, the voice hissed, "Crucio."

Pain, pain like he had never experienced before took over Percy's body; his nerves were on fire, bones being crushed as white-hot knives were driven into every pore on his flesh. He could hear screams, off in the distance, but he didn't know if they were his, he didn't know anything beyond this pain, this all-consuming pain… all wanted was for it to be over, he wanted to die! He couldn't take this, he couldn't take this… no more…MAKE IT STOP!!!!

Mercy was granted to him in a cold flush of air and the sound of a body _thunk!_ing to the ground beside him. Suddenly released from the pain, Percy once again began semi-aware of his surroundings. A warm, metallic liquid was filling his mouth, staining his lips and dribbling down his chin. Blood. He must have bitten his tongue.

Percy felt strong hands grab his arms and pull him to his feet. Almost immediately, wild spasms began coursing through his body. He was weak and shaky and wanted to be sick.

"Percy, are you okay?" Someone shoved his glasses on his face. Through the spidery veins of the shattered glass, he could see the black hair, deep brown eyes and birth-marked temple of Ayden Carter. The man gave him a little shake. "Percy, can you hear me?" he demanded, sounding panicked.

Percy opened his mouth to respond and the blood from his bitten tongue spewed onto Ayden's shirt. In the flickering light of fire, Percy could see Ayden blanch. "Okay, come on." Ayden grabbed him and began to half-lead, half-drag him through the chaos, something Percy was grateful for, as he was so shaky and weak he doubted he could walk.

Glancing up, Percy could see that they had passed the large burning building and reached another deserted building. Ayden wrenched the door open and they stumbled inside. It was even colder here than outside, but the air was free of smoke and was quiet. No screams, no sound of the fire burning. Percy braced himself against the wall, desperately trying to suck air into his lungs; the shaky spasms of his muscles were gradually stopping. Ayden pressed a wand into his tremulous hand.

"The Death Eaters have captured all the survivors left," Ayden whispered to him with a voice full of defeat. "Everyone else has escaped to the woods. We're in an abandoned muggle factory now, but… they'll find us soon enough."

Percy stared at him in disbelief. How had Ayden—cheeky, careless Ayden—regressed to this? He seemed to be admitting defeat, saying that they were going to die. With his ear pressed to the cold stone wall, Percy could hear the voices of the Death Eaters talking outside, getting closer and closer to where they hid. Percy could feel his panic and despair turning to steely resolve; he would not die, he _refused _to die until he had apologized to his family. Percy wondered if he would put them in danger if the Death Eaters saw him here.

_This is rich, _a voice in the back of his head decided it was the perfect time to comment. _Percy Ignatius Weasley in worried about putting his family in danger. That's new; it was always the other way around. _

"Come on, Ayden," he grabbed Ayden's arm, trying to pull him down the dark hallway. The man didn't budge, and Percy had no hope of forcing him. "Ayden!"

"Why? Why, they're just going to find us and kill us." Ayden covered in face with his hands, shoulders heaving like he was sobbing. Percy was flabbergasted.

"Ayden, come on. Ayden!" Percy grabbed fistfuls of his robes and attempted to drag him down the hallway, wondering if this sudden lack of motivation to go on had anything to do with what had happened last night. Then another thought struck him: _Holy Merlin, it's Christmas Day. So much for fucking good will toward men._

The two of them were at the end of the hallway when the door they had entered through swung open with a loud bang and flash of light. Several black-hooded figures raced in.

Percy poured on his speed, Ayden momentarily regaining his spirit and sprinting beside him. They heard a shout behind them, and they knew the Death Eaters had seen them. The thundering sound of hundreds of echoing footsteps filled the hall. Reaching a door with a large, circular, metal device instead of a doorknob, Percy froze, Ayden bumping into him.

_Oh Merlin, oh Merlin what is this?! How do I open it? _"Alohomora!" Percy shouted, painfully aware of the Death Eaters gaining on them. As a result of his spell, the circular handle began to turn of its own accord, grinding loudly until the giant lead door creaked open. Percy shoved Ayden through the gap and then followed him, slamming the door shut. "Obfirmo!" Purple sparks danced around the closed door, making it impervious to standard unlocking spells. But it couldn't keep them safe forever, so Percy began to glance frantically around for an exit.

"Lumos!" His wand began to glow bright green, but it wasn't nearly enough light to illuminate the entirety of the cavernous room. "Ayden, help me!"

Ayden silently lit his wand, raising it above his head. They were in a high-ceilinged room, completely bare and metallic. Every surface was smooth and cold. Percy could see his breath, billowing out in front of him. He shivered.

"Percy…?" Ayden's voice broke the silence, shattering the cold air. "There's no way out."

There wasn't. No doors, no windows. Percy felt panic once again rising within him. He was practically hyperventilating. "We'll just go through the walls. Jinx our way through, or something," he said, trying to sound confident. And by Merlin, he was failing.

Ayden raised his wand, directing towards the outside wall. "Homenum revelio," he intoned quietly, watching as the soft red haze penetrated the metal wall, revealing the shapes of more than a dozen humans patrolling the ground outside. Percy swallowed hard.

"There were only five or so chasing us," he whispered. "Our odds are better if we stay here." Percy's limbs were shaking; he could feel bile rising in his throat. He was going to die. He was going to die, dressed in pajamas and anonymous and no one would ever find out what happened to Percy Weasley. He would never be buried, never have a headstone. He was going to die, and it terrified the hell out of him. So much for Gryffindor bravery.

And his very uncles, Gideon and Fabian, had died at the hands of five Death Eaters. They had both been heroes, amazing duelers… and they had been killed! What chance did _he _have? He wasn't a great dueler, and for all he knew, the second the Death Eaters burst in they would commend Ayden on his excellent job cornering the rebel…

Percy pressed his back against the wall next to the door, breath coming in ragged gasps. He could hear people beginning to pound on the door, shouting "Alohomora!" Of course it didn't work, his charm was holding strong, but it wouldn't take long before they found a way in.

Percy looked at Ayden, who had pressed his back against the wall on the other side of the door. His eyes were closed, and the look of fear and anguish on his face was so real… Percy didn't want the person he died with to hate him.

"Ayden?" he croaked. "I'm sorry I accused you of being in league with the Death Eaters. It just… it just wasn't true. I'm so sorry."

Ayden turned slowly to face him. "But I did tell the Death Eaters that a rebel group was meeting in Audrey's building. And I helped to destroy it. It was me. You were right all along."

_But is that the entire story? Find out the whole truth in the next chapter: "__**Rennervate**__" _


	18. Rennervate

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Thanks to the reviewers, and stuff. I hope this chapter provides a little more insight into Ayden, and Percy, too.  
_

Chapter 18

"What?" Percy felt his body tense as he pulled away from Ayden sharply, turning his wand on the young man. For a second, all he could feel was shock and fear, but then he was taken over by a hot wave of overwhelming anger. "UNBELIEVABLE! How could you do this? That attack could have killed Audrey, could have killed hundreds of people! What the hell's the matter with you? I—"

"They had my sister!" Ayden screamed, banging his head against the metal wall. Tears were leaking out of his tightly closed eyelids.

"What?" Percy gasped, suddenly drained of anger.

"They took my sister," he repeated in a ragged whisper. "The Death Eaters. They kidnapped my sister."

"Wh-what?" Percy could feel his heartbeat synching with the pounding on the door by the Death Eaters. "You have a sister?" he breathed in disbelief.

Ayden let out a cruel laugh that chilled Percy's blood, his eyes still filled with desperate tears. "I had a whole family, you know, back in America. My parents were American Aurors. But when You-Know-Who came back they didn't want to fight, they wanted me and my sister to hide away in America." His voice was so hoarse it was almost painful to listen to. "I was so angry. I called them all cowards. I ran away two years ago, I still haven't talked to any of them."

Percy stared at him in open amazement, confusion, and horror.

"And a couple of months ago I learned that the Death Eaters had attacked their embassy." Ayden turned his head away, the light from his wand tip wavering, casting the room in flickering light. "They killed my parents. I hadn't… I hadn't talked to them in years." Percy could actually feel himself shaking. He couldn't imagine anything more horrible. "But they said they still had my little sister, alive, and that if I helped locate and destroy an America-based rebel group, they would let her go." The billows of Ayden's breath were coming in rapid-fire succession. "What was I supposed to do?"

"B-but…" Percy forced out, even though his chest was spasming wildly. "There were people in that building. _We_ could have been in that building…"

Ayden shook his head, looking frantic. "No! No, I made sure that you guys were all out before I initiated the destabilizing spell. And, and I went around the building setting off those Decoy Detonators from your brother's shop so everybody would clear out. And they did! No one died; I swear to God, I didn't hurt anyone."

The Death Eaters were pounding harder and harder on the door, shouting more spells. It wouldn't be long until they broke through Percy's charm. Not long at all.

"But I went to the place they said they left her and she wasn't there. I made contact with one of the Death Eaters on Christmas Eve. They said they had killed her. That she had been dead all along. They had tricked me to believing she wasn't." He closed his eyes. "Tell me you would have done the same thing," Ayden begged, holding his wand tightly to his chest. "Tell me!"

Percy was about to say that of course he wouldn't have done the same thing. But then…he thought about Ginny, sweet little Ginny, who used to beg him to tell his stories and crawl into his lap after nightmares, and to come to him whenever Fred and George had teased her. There was really only one truthful answer. "I would have done the exact same thing," he said in a ragged whisper, closing his eyes and slumping against the wall.

"You're lying to me," hissed Ayden. "You're lying, humoring me because you think we're going to die."

"Ayden? What is your little sister's name?"

Ayden cracked open his wet, dark brown eyes, locking gazes with Percy questioningly. "Helen."

"Mine's name is Ginny," Percy whispered. "I would have done the same thing."

He saw in Ayden's eyes that the young man believed him. Suddenly, in a loud crash of spewed dust and chunks of metal and light, the door was blown open and the Death Eaters poured in.

Percy wheeled around, eyes narrowed against the shrapnel, and cast a stunner at the first human shape he saw. A shout beside him told him that Ayden had done the same. More metal and stone dust was in the air as more dark figures shoved their way into the huge room; obviously, their estimate had been wrong. There were far more than five people here.

Percy shot off several more spells, arm jerking wildly in the air, no aim involved whatsoever. He had no idea what was going on, if he had hit anyone, if Ayden was still standing. Somehow his glasses had been knocked off again, and he felt a burning pain in his face, stomach and shoulder. They felt sticky and wet.

"Expelliarmus!"

Percy's arm jerked to the side and his wand was forcibly torn from his hand. Fingers wound in his hair, pulling him backward. With a yelp of pain, Percy tore himself away, collapsing onto the ground.

He saw Ayden, in a similar situation to himself, twisting on the ground under the Death Eaters. The young man sank his teeth into the Death Eater trying to pull him to his feet. The man howled in pain, twisting in place. Both he and Ayden disappeared in an audible _crack. _

Percy felt hands grabbing his shoulders, trying to hold him in place. A voice shouted, "Grab him! Take him to the—"

The rest of his order was drowned out by an ear-splitting roar, filling the air and blocking out all other sound. "RGAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!!!!!!!"

The ceiling was ripped away from above them, the smoky stars of the sky revealed. The roar sounded again, and Percy clapped his hands to his ears. Bright orange fire appeared out of nowhere, spreading through the air and heating them all to roasting. A huge, dark silhouette loomed over the destroyed dome, blocking out the stars once more.

The last thing Percy saw before he passed out was the glint of firelight off long, slavered fangs.

Everything was blurry and hazy. A distant roar echoed in his ears, and his whole body was gripped in pain. His face and arms were burning hot. He was weak; he just wanted to sleep…

He could hear a sound, close to where he was lying. A voice… "RENNERVATE! No, Goddammit! NO!"

Something was pressing on his chest, a sharp push, and then nothing. Blessed nothing… just quiet…yes…he just wanted to rest…

"No, no, Percy, NO! RENNERVATE!"


	19. Titus

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: This chapter is from Audrey's P.O.V., starting at the beginning of the chapter "Rennervate"_

Chapter 19

Audrey felt the cool breeze of the forest caress her face, a sweet mercy after the heat of the fire. She was deep within the trees, trying to calm panicked refugees, who were shooting curses and hexes at every tiny sound in the darkness. Which would be fine, of course, except that Percy and Ayden hadn't come back. She and Lynn had been sweeping the woods, but with no avail. _Percy and Ayden must be still back at the buildings, the burning one or the old muggle factory. Which means the Death Eaters are going to find them… if they haven't already. _Audrey felt panic well up in her chest. _The Death Eaters could take them, or kill them! Oh God, oh God… Not Percy and Ayden! Two of my best friends! What would I tell the Weasleys? And I'm pretty sure Ayden's parents are still in America. They can't die, they just can't! _

There was a loud roar from the background… far too close for comfort. One of the heads of a muggle-born shot up. "What the hell was that?" he whispered.

Audrey opened her mouth soundlessly, without knowing how to respond. Lynn suddenly burst forth from the knot of people huddled in the trees. She clutched Audrey's arm and pulled her around so that their backs were to the crowd. "Audrey," she questioned quietly, "was that…"

"I think so." Audrey swallowed hard. Titus must have fled the station when the Death Eaters attacked. They could hear the dragon, crying out in the distance, scared by the onslaught.

Lynn's green eyes were wide and frightened. "Well, forget about that. Where are Percy and Ayden? Have you seen them?"

Audrey shook her head. "Not since we first got here. There was so much noise, and running, and I lost sight of them." Audrey's heart was hammering hard.

"We have to go back!" Lynn said frantically. "We have to find them!"

Audrey wanted to start screaming in panic and fear. It was so goddamn dangerous, but it was Percy and Ayden. What were they supposed to do?

Audrey whipped around. "Hold down the fort, guys," she said to the crowd. "We're going back."

And with that, Audrey and Lynn began to shove through the trees, wands out, towards where the clouds of smoke were billowing from. Reaching the edge of the trees, they peered down towards the clearing. Two figures were sprinting across the ground towards the factory, one of them with a bright red shock of hair…

"PERC—" Audrey started to scream, but suddenly a hand had been slapped over her mouth. She was being tumbled backwards, off her feet. A bright green jet of light flew over their heads.

"Stupefy!" Audrey watched as Lynn rolled over, pointing her wand at a masked man standing over them. He crumpled to the ground. "You have to be quiet! They'll hear us. Look, they should be safe in the factory for a little while if none of the Death Eaters know they're in there—"

Lynn broke off as they watched about ten dark figures force their way into the abandoned building. Even more were crowded around it, covering it from every angle. There would be no escape for those inside, and there was no way Audrey and Lynn could break their friends free. _There are too many of them! Percy and Ayden are trapped. There's no way we can save them, not like this. Oh, God… _

"Oh Merlin…" Lynn exclaimed in a defeated whisper.

Another roar tore through the air. Audrey jumped in surprise as she saw the brownish silhouette of Titus, stamping the ground around a few thousand meters away. Titus had really gotten so huge lately… Audrey could see curls of fire and smoke around his nostrils… A sudden idea struck her. "Lynn? How well trained do you think Titus is?"

Audrey stretched out her hand, filled with small scraps of meat, in front of her as she backed up. Titus was skulking after her, smoking nose sniffing loudly. His wings were slightly open above his curved, scaly back. "Come on, Titus, that's right, Titus… just follow me…" she whispered over and over, egging the dragon on. _Jeez, he's gotten big. Please let this work, let him do what I say. I've got him pretty well-trained, but he's still a wild animal… _

"Uh, Audrey?" Lynn called over from where she stood, at a very reasonable distance, far outside the range of Titus's horned tail. "Don't you think they'll _notice _a dragon walking up to the factory?" Her voice was tight and strained.

"You're right," Audrey mumbled. "You're right." She stopped, causing Titus to grind to a halt. He growled and swung his broad head back and forth.

Lynn took a couple cautious steps towards her. "What do you think you can get him to do? He's, he's a dragon… it's not like he can fully understand you…"

Audrey swallowed again, unable to get the monumental lump in her throat down. "Titus is very smart," she choked out, a slightly desperate tone to her voice. This was their last shot…

"Oi!" A voice called out to them. Audrey turned around, horrified to see that the Death Eaters had spotted them. Jets of lights were beginning to fly in their direction. Lynn whipped out her wand and threw up a wide, shimmering shield between them.

"Whatever you are planning on doing, do it now!" She cried out, breaking into a run, out of the path between Titus and the Death Eaters. Audrey shoved the meat she had been using to lure Titus into her pocket, pulling out her wand. Before she could retaliate, one of the Death Eaters shot some spell at her. She was blown backwards, a sharp, painful stinging running up her body. She cried out in pain.

Titus let out an ear-splitting roar, rearing up onto his hind legs. Through eyes filling up with tears of pain, Audrey could see bright red and orange flames bursting into the air and scorching the ground. She imagined the Death Eaters being burned to crisps, nothing but little piles of ash. _Oh, Jesus Christ!_ Ignoring the pain, Audrey dragged herself to her feet, stumbling sideways, away from the dragon. Titus began pedaling his wings, looking as if he was about to take flight.

"Titus!" Audrey hollered, beating on his scaly forelegs to get the angry dragon's attention. It wasn't until Titus wheeled his head around, bright eyes and smoldering muzzle pointing directly at her that she realized what a stupid idea that was.

Panicking, Audrey stuck her wand in her pocket, yelling a spell to multiply the meat in there. She threw a freshly generated piece at Titus, who snapped it up, gleaming fangs showing. "Oh, jeez, oh jeez…" she choked out. _Don't be afraid, don't be afraid… It's Titus! You practically raised him! And remember who's at stake here_. Gathering up her courage, Audrey tossed out another piece, a little bit in front of the dragon this time. He leaped forward to grab it in his mouth. "Wingardium leviosa!" she cast onto the next piece, and it began to bob in the air. Titus snapped futilely at it as she quickly floated it out of his range. Audrey lobbed it onto the factory roof.

"Get it Titus!" Audrey yelled desperately, willing the creature to understand.

The dragon let out another roar, impossibly loud, and Audrey slammed her hands over her ears automatically. Titus leapt into the air and flapped his wings faster and faster. Claws out, he landed on the roof. They dug into the ancient, crumbling walls and Titus took off again, ripping the roof off. Large chunks off stone began to roll off in every direction, smashing into the ground. Throwing it aside, Titus hovered over the gap. Fire surged from his nostrils and jaws.

Audrey screamed suddenly as nails bit into her arm, but it was only a fearful looking Lynn at her side. "Audrey! They could be in there!"

Audrey's eyes widened in horror. _Oh, crap, she's right._ "Titus!" she screamed. "Stop! Stop!" But the dragon couldn't hear her, or if he could, he didn't care.

"Come on," Lynn shouted. "Through the side, let's blast our way through!"

Audrey and Lynn sprinted across the ground, ignoring the Death Eaters lying on the ground. Maybe they were dead, maybe they weren't. It didn't matter. Several Reducting curses and they had penetrated the wall.

Chaos had broken out inside the huge room. Titus' fire was crackling down from the sky, Death Eaters disapparating and bits of stone crumbling from the torn-up ceiling. And then suddenly she saw…

Percy! A bit of red hair among the gray and black. His eyes were closed; Audrey could see blood across his chest and face. Audrey slashed her wand toward a Death Eater, bringing him down. He appeared to be the last one standing; they had all escaped or been knocked out by the dragon or Lynn, who were both currently on wild rampages, attacking everything in sight.

Audrey grasped Percy's arms, dragging him out from under the rubble…and immediately gasped in horror.

Huge scraps of metal were sticking out of Percy's chest, stomach and cheek, the skin around them ragged and covered in shimmering crimson blood. One side of his face was burnt and blackened.

"Oh, Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus…" Audrey poked one of the pieces of metal protruding from Percy's torso, practically hyperventilating. _What the hell I am supposed to do? I can't heal people! Where's Lynn? Is she with Ayden?_

Audrey glanced desperately around. The threat from the Death Eaters had been neutralized from the attack by Titus, and Lynn was levitating the bits of stone and metal, throwing them aside, revealing bodies that had been buried underneath.

Audrey returned her gaze to Percy, trying to stay calm, trying to remember what to do. Were you supposed to pull the shrapnel out or leave it in?

Then Audrey noticed something, and it chilled her to the very bone. Percy's chest wasn't moving…_he wasn't breathing!_

Audrey pressed her wand to his chest in a blind panic, trying to recall the right spell. "RENNERVATE! No, Goddammit, NO!" Audrey screamed.

Was that a gasp of breath…? Audrey jerked her wand upward, examining him carefully for the rise and fall of the chest that indicated life. But… there was nothing.

"No, no, Percy, NO! RENNERVATE!"

Suddenly Percy's body jerked upward, blue eyes snapping open and mouth making a bizarre sucking motion. The burnt blisters on face crackled and constricted. He was alive! "Lynn?" she shouted, twisting around on her heels to see Lynn standing in the center of the demolished room, levitating the last of the rubble out of the way. Several bodies were lying on the dirty ground, but it was simple to see that none of them was Ayden. _Goddammit, I saw them both come in here! Where's Ayden? Why would they take Ayden and leave Percy?_

"Go look down the corridor and the rest of the factory." Audrey's head shot up in shock. Lynn was using her Healer voice, loud and curt with an undeniable sense of authority. Audrey leapt up onto her shaky legs as Lynn began to work in Percy, healing the burns and gashes created by the shards of door and building. Already, his breathing seemed to be more regular.

Stumbling into the hall, Audrey could see that the place was abandoned. The fighters and Titus had scared them off, and all the muggle-borns had either escaped to the woods or been captured. The factory itself had once again been abandoned.

Audrey stepped outside into the cooling air, glancing around to see Titus pedaling overhead, shamelessly roaring and snorting fire. She shook her head. She'd never seen a bigger breach in the Statute of Secrecy in her life. Every person for miles and miles could clearly see that dragon. _Although, I guess, that really doesn't matter now…_

Audrey's eyes welled up with tears as she saw the smoldering remains of the building…so much work, up in flames… vaguely Audrey remembered the refugees she had left in the woods. Someone needed to take them to safety. She tried to swallow a painful lump in her throat as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Ayden was gone. The Death Eaters had taken him away…

But Percy was alive, and so were all the people in the woods. They needed help. She couldn't fall into grief. She had a job to do.

She trooped quietly back to the destroyed main room of the factory, where Lynn was kneeling over Percy's unconscious body, tears and droplets of sweat and blood rolling down her dirty face. She was slowly moving her wand over him, muttering an incantation. Soft golden light soaked into Percy's pale and bloody skin. His face was still distorted with burns.

Percy's body began to stir slightly, causing them both to jump a little bit. His eyes flickered open, a shot of pure blue amidst the black and gray and crimson. He made a sound that sounded more like an exhale of breath than a word.

Audrey leaned in close to him. "Percy, can you hear me? Percy?"

"Audrey?" he gasped back, trying to raise his head. Lynn had to lift in for him.

"Yeah, Percy I'm here," Audrey replied softly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine…" choked out Percy. "There was fire… noise..."

"Titus," Lynn informed him, running her wand over his last cuts and bruises. "Audrey had him, ah, storm the building."

Percy attempted a nod, pushing up onto his elbows with a cough.

"Percy?" Audrey asked quietly, a question burning in her mind. "What happened to Ayden, did you see him?"

Percy flinched and his whole body tensed up, as if the answer was causing him physical pain. "They… they took him away. There were flashes… fire… they didn't get to me in time, but they got him and disapparated."

Audrey closed her eyes, feeling tears once again form there. It wasn't anything more than she expected, but it still hurt. One of her best friends…

"Did you hear where, Percy? Where did they take him?" she asked urgently. _We can find him. He's not dead, and we'll find him… we're still a family…_

Even before Percy split his bloodless lips open she knew it was hopeless. "No…" he gasped. "I don't know…" It was all he managed to get out before his strength had completely deserted him and he collapsed, eyes drifting shut.

There were several moments of silence, where Audrey felt more and more pressure weighing down on her shoulders. _God, oh God!_

"Come on," said Lynn finally in a strained voice. "I'll get Percy back to his flat; you take care of the refugees."

Audrey slowly leaned down and kissed Percy lightly before rising to her feet on shaking legs and departing, into the cold night air.

Charlie Weasley was having a very bad day. He had been fielding fire-calls from his mother—who was in hysterics because Fred and George hadn't owled in five days. The little gits, didn't they realize how worried she was about them?—while trying to manage the severely understaffed reserve since six in the morning. And then some wizard had contacted the reserve, screaming that a dragon was loose, flying and breathing fire and tearing up buildings, over Longwood Forest.

Charlie apparated unto the fringe of the forest, and immediately stifled a shout. The whole place was in ruins! A pile of glowing coals was all that was left of a building off to his right, and a bigger building on the left had its roof torn off, laying in shambles in the surrounding areas.

"RGOAAAR!"

Charlie's head snapped up, his jaw dropping in amazement; there actually was a dragon here! A huge one, a Hungarian Horntail, full grown and well-muscled. It was obviously very angry about something, wheeling around in circles and spraying fire. Pretty soon, it was going to ignite the trees.

Charlie rolled his sleeves up, pulling out his wand. _How the hell did a Horntail get here? We're thousands of kilometers away from its habitat! Unless…_ Charlie remembered a young, curly-haired woman stealing a baby Horntail. What was that, four, five months ago? The little thing had obviously grown fast, but it was certainly possible that it could be full-grown after such a period of time.

Charlie blinked, seeing a figure cutting quickly and unsteadily across the charred grass, towards the tree line. He raised his wand, just in case, before calling out, "Oi! Who's there?"

The figure wheeled around, and in the red-orange light of the still-burning fire he could see that it was… her! That woman! Speak of the devil. What, had she brought it here, thinking she could control it?

Her eyes widened. "You! I…" she glanced towards the destroyed building and back, brow furrowed, like she was considering something. She shook her head a little bit. "I gotta go."

"Wait!" Charlie shouted, annoyed and confused. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Seeing the woman up close, he could make out features he had missed before. Her face was dirty, and in places bloody. Tear tracks ran down her cheeks as she wiped them away harshly. Before she could respond, several cracks around them alerted him to the arrival of his coworkers. They all whipped their wands out, pointing them at the dragon as he flew over, roaring.

"Titus!" the woman shouted before breaking into a run, disappearing into the trees.

Charlie turned around in disbelief as a shower of red sparks told him that an attempt to waylay the animal was underway. _This should be good, _he thought. _That dragon is the most enraged I've ever seen a Horntail since the Triwizard Tournament. _Charlie watched in amazement as the dragon swerved artfully to avoid a cascade of stunners. _No, this will be worse. 'Titus' seems to be smart. _


	20. Many Unhappy Returns

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the reviews… Gods, nearly one hundred!_

Chapter 20

When Percy awoke with his whole body was seized by a dull ache, even though he seemed to be lying on a soft, warm bed. Groaning, he opened his eyes, and saw nothing but a giant, whitish blur, with random spots of bright colors winking in front of it. _What the… what's going on? _

Reflexively, his arm shot out to his night table, and his long, painful fingers curled around his glasses. Trying to sit up, Percy slipped them on his face, flinching in pain and blinking as the world around him clarified. He was lying down in his bed in his flat. Everything appeared to be in order… except he didn't remember coming home. He could hear someone moving in the adjacent room.

"Who's there?" he called, wincing as he heard his own dry, cracked voice. Talking really hurt his cheek. Percy reached up and felt the skin there, which was unusually rough and painful.

"Percy?" Lynn walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe. Her brown hair was tied back in a hasty bun, and her face was smudged with dirt and filled with concern. Seeing that he was awake, she immediately swept over and sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I think so…" Lynn ran a gentle hand over his injured face, shining a white light in his eyes. Turning away, Percy could still see the brightly colored pinpoints of flashing light above him. _Oh Merlin, what's wrong with me? I'm dying! _"No, no, I take it back, I see lights and colors, Lynn," he whispered in panic.

Lynn just smiled a little bit. "Those are Christmas lights, Percy. Remember, Audrey put them up?"

_Audrey, Christmas…_ Suddenly memories began to flood back into Percy's mind. _The Death Eaters, burning buildings, the old factory, fire—Titus, it had to be—, Death Eaters taking Ayden…_ Percy shot upright, back ramrod straight. "Ayden?" he asked Lynn, eyes wide and pleading. "Did you find…" Percy broke off as Lynn shook her head, her gaze resting on the floor. Her green eyes were shimmering suspiciously. "Oh…"

Lynn nodded slowly. There were a few minutes of silence before she finally raised her head, a half-hearted smile pulling up the corners of her lips. "You've been out for nearly a day, Perce. It's December 26th. I was really worried." Lynn said it rather flippantly, but Percy had a feeling she had been sick with worry. She had an exhausted, pinched look like she had been spending the last day panicking and not taking care of herself. He tried to sit up, to look stronger for her sake.

"I feel fine," he said confidently as possible. "Ah… where's Audrey?"

"Audrey's with some of the muggle-borns, the ones that had to be relocated," Lynn said simply. She leaned over the side of his bed, rummaging through a box of sorts. Percy angled his head down to see that it was full of healing supplies. Lynn extracted a small green bottle, holding it up to the light. She nodded approvingly to herself.

"It's burn ointment," Lynn explained, unscrewing the cap and dipping two fingers into the bottle, coating them with the green substance. Slowly, so that Percy would know what she was doing, she reached out and rubbed the ointment onto the painful side of his face. "You got burned by Titus's dragon fire. I've been applying it every hour since I brought you back from the factory. I…I think there will be some scarring," Lynn swallowed. "But it won't be that bad, and I know you can easily cover it up with a charm or something."

Percy nodded numbly, not really able to process what had happened yesterday. Ayden was gone… Percy felt nauseous, and he knew it had little to do with his injuries.

When Audrey returned, she spilled how happy she was he was okay, and commented on how the side of his face looked like flesh-colored bark. She had a happy but forced demeanor.

After a few minutes, she asked a question urgently, and Percy had a feeling she had been bursting to ask it since she got there. "Are you sure you don't know anything else about Ayden?"

_Yes, I do know something else about Ayden, _Percy thought. The Ayden who had confessed to him as being a Death Eater informant. And had had his whole family killed by them. But he would never tell, Percy decided. He would maintain that Ayden was a complete hero until the end.

"No, I don't," he whispered quietly. "I'm so sorry." Audrey sighed, dropping her head into her hands briefly. Then she finally pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small, gift-wrapped sphere.

"I figured you might like one of these." Audrey gave a sad smile and stood, sweeping out of the room.

Percy curiously tore the wrapping off the package. His fingers ran over the item's glossy surface.

"What is it?" Lynn asked, turning away from her Healing supplies to stare at him. Percy just smiled as he tossed up the small sphere and it burst into brilliant light.

Audrey smiled slightly, turning over the book Percy had gotten her in her hands. She had found it in his flat while he was unconscious. Shoving it into her pocket, Audrey leapt up and circled around the wreckage once more, through the dark coals and layering of powered wood and stone.

She couldn't believe she had come back here, voluntarily, none the less. But Audrey knew it was necessary; she was trying to access the damage. So far—and it brought bile to her mouth just to think about it—there were two confirmed, non-Death Eater deaths… and one person captured. Ayden. Audrey had been following leads for days, trying to find him, trying to maintain hope that he was still alive. Nothing. All she could think to do now was to just keep going and pray that something came along.

"Hey!" Audrey spun around to face the source of the voice. The sturdy, muscular, red-headed frame of Charlie Weasley was striding across the blackened ground towards her. "Don't run away, I want to talk to you!"

Audrey briefly considered running, disappearing, but she didn't. She stood stock still, tugging on the end of her cloak, waiting for the dragon-keeper to hurry towards her.

"Hey," he panted, reaching her. Audrey crossed her arms, staring at him expectantly. _This should be good, _she mused. _How much should I tell him? _

Charlie looked like he didn't know where to start. Arms hanging limply at his sides, he squirmed a bit, looking awkward. "Well… I have a lot of questions for you. First off, who _are_ you?"

Audrey blinked back at him. "Is that a philosophical question? 'Cause I really don't know if a tree makes a sound if it falls in a forest…"

Charlie shook his head, looking annoyed. "No! What's your name?" Audrey bit her lip, not sure what to say. _Somehow I doubt a Weasley would get me into trouble… _"Here, I'll tell you first. Charlie Weasley." He extended a gloved hand.

Audrey grasped it with her own dirty, nail-bitten one. "Audrey White," she responded quietly. A cool slice of wind blew her hair into the air. They both glanced nervously around, as if the weather was an indicator of something darker.

Charlie ran a hand uneasily through his bright hair. _Merlin, _Audrey marveled. _That sure does look like Percy's hair. _"Okay, Audrey. Uh… all right what did you say that Horntail's name was again?"

"Titus," Audrey answered. "Do you have him at your reserve?"

"Well… yes and no," Charlie said, digging through the layer of ash on the ground with his foot.

"Which is it, ginger," snapped Audrey, suddenly on edge. "Do have him or not?"

"We couldn't rein him in, okay? That dragon is smart. I get the feeling the only reason he's actually hanging around the reserve is that we give him free food."

Audrey's lips quirked. "Yeah, that sounds like Titus." God, she loved that dragon. Totally worth the effort it took to steal and care for him.

"How did you manage to train him like that?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "I've never seen anything like. I mean, our best trainers who've been studying dragons for decades couldn't do anything like this!"

"I guess I'm just naturally talented. You know, how some people are born with musical ability and stuff?"

Charlie cocked his head slightly in confusion. "Right… anyway, do you have a job or anything? We really could use your help at the reserve…"

Audrey shook her head, surprised. She'd figure that a Weasley would be working tightly with the Order, not worrying extensively about dragons. And as far as Audrey knew, she was the only one stupid enough to try to use dragons as assets and weapons. "Look… I have, er, more important things to do."

Charlie's face darkened significantly, and Audrey stepped backward, startled. "Doesn't everyone? All my family!" he spat.

Audrey blinked. "Umm… look, I really don't know."

Charlie shook his head. "Sorry, right. I'm sorry." He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "Do you… do you want to come see Titus?"

"Uh… he'll, um, come back when he wants," Audrey said awkwardly. "But I know where you are, if I want to come."

"Right. Bye." Charlie turned and walked away.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Audrey. "Wait!" she called out to the dragon-keeper. He turned around, looking surprised.

"Yeah?"

Words of Percy died on her lips. What the hell was she supposed to say? 'Uh, by the way I recruited your little brother into my resistance group and know he's sort of confined to his flat because of terrible, dragon-fire conflicted burns that came about when I sicked Titus on a crowd of Death Eaters who were attacking him and also kidnapped one of my best friends. So, anyway, see ya.'

So Audrey just shook her head. "Um… so you have a big family, then?"

"Yeah. About five brothers and one sister." His face was mostly twisted in worried lines.

"I think I met one of them, then," Audrey swallowed, her heart hammering in her chest. Why the hell was she telling him this?

Charlie frowned. "How would you know?"

"The hair, obviously." Audrey grinned slightly, turned and disapparated on the spot.


	21. Pivotal Moment

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: I'm making a rather big jump in time here, from January to April. Because if I continue at this pace, the story will never end!_

Chapter 21

_**April. **_

Tonks looked over the contents of the file one last time, making sure it was committed to memory before burning it with a quick _incendio _charm. As she stood and ambled out of her cubicle, Tonks rolled the new information over in her head. _Audrey White… wanted by the American Government of Magic. Known associate… Lynn Willow. _That one had been difficult to figure out, actually. She had gone looking for any records of an Audrey White in Britain, and found none. But, going by her distinctive description, Tonks had discovered that Audrey had spent over a week in St. Mungo's being treated for creature-induced burns and cuts two years ago. Her treating Healer had been Hippocrates Smethmyck, and Healer-in-training had been Lynn Willow.

So, she contacted Smethmyck and asked him about the woman, hoping to discover something she didn't already know. And he had sheepishly said he spent very little time with the woman… instead allowing Lynn to do most of the work. He told her they were friends; specifically said he'd heard them making plans to meet later.

And if Lynn Willow was really hanging out with Audrey and company, that would explain the third person she had seen grappling with Aiden…

Tonks apparated onto the main street of Diagon Alley, right in front of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It made her a tiny bit happy to see the bright colors and flashing lights on the windows of the shop, but it immediately evaporated when she saw the people, lying on the streets, begging to know the whereabouts of their loved ones. The Wandless, they were called with sneers. It made Tonks sick.

_Forget that,_ she told herself sternly. _At least for now. _Now it was time to follow a lead, the thing she did best. Tonks was so close to the answer she could taste it; this Lynn Willow appeared to be the missing link. Tonks had checked her records, discovering that Lynn was only one year younger than Percy and had attended Hogwarts. They could have potentially been friends, putting Percy in contact with the bizarre young woman. And if they had been, she knew two Weasley's who might know…

"Uh… hello?" she questioned, stepping into the brightly lit shop, looking around for Fred and George.

One of the twins—oh wait, it was Fred, you could tell now, as he had two ears—stepped out from the back room. He smiled brightly. "Hey, Tonks! You're looking great!"

"Right," responded Tonks with a small grin. "Thanks." She stepped forward, offering out the photograph—of Lynn Willow this time—to Fred as George appeared, looking cheerful and lopsided. "Great, hi George. I'm actually here on business. Do either of you recognize this woman?"

George cocked his head at the picture before saying confidently, "Course I do! That's Lynn, with the green eyes. I asked her to the Yule Ball a couple years ago. Why?"

"Um… was she friends… with anyone you knew?"

A frown creased George's forehead, brushing back a lock of red hair. "Yeah… Percy."

Tonks couldn't help breaking a tiny smile at this. So it's true!

"Why are you asking?" demanded George suddenly. "Is this to do with that Ayden guy?"

Tonks froze, feeling her mouth go dry. "What about an Aiden guy?" she asked urgently. "What about him?"

George jerked back slightly, startled. "Um… Look, he came in for stuff and just had a list with some names on it, okay?"

_Names… _"What names?"

"Oh…um… I remember it was really strange," replied George uneasily. "The names were, I think… 'Percy', 'Lynn', and, and, er…"

"What?" snapped Tonks at him, resisting the urge to grab and shake him. "What was the last name?"

"Audrey!" he burst out. "Audrey, okay?"

Tonks felt her blood chill. _That man had all those names on a list? Is Aiden going to try to get something from them?_

Stammering a quick thank you, she sped out of the shop, leaving a very confused set of red-headed twins in her wake.

Percy gazed at his reflection in the mirror, examining the right side of his face. The flesh there was still rough and cracked, gross and disfigured. With a sigh, he coated the blistered area with green ointment. Three entire months, shouldn't it have cleared up? And if it hadn't by now, would it ever heal? He knew that burns from dragon fire were different from burns from regular fire. Percy carefully waved his wand over his face, casting a glamour that hid his hideous scars. He felt slightly weak for doing it; after all, he knew that Bill had much worse scars than he did, and he wasn't so self-conscious he needed to hide them. Percy turned away from his reflection, and out of his flat.

_But if anyone at work saw them you'd have to explain, and that's something you can't afford to do, _he told himself sternly. Percy was still worried, though. He'd been working at the Ministry with charms covering his face for weeks, and he was pretty sure that no one had noticed anything, but the presence of strong magic like this could always be detected by powerful wizards and witches, and he was still nervous…

_I've been nervous and jumpy for months—no, years!_ Percy thought angrily to himself as he burst out onto the streets of London. The cold was biting; unusually so, for April in England. The people, wizards and muggles alike, huddled together in tight groups, moving through the heavy mist. It was obvious that the Dementors were spawning again. Percy shivered.

Reaching the edge of the Ministry, he pulled out one of his tokens and deposited it in the toilet, stepping inside. Even after doing so what felt like hundreds of times, it still disgusted him.

Percy emerged into the Atrium, once again staring upon the Magic in Might statue. The room was unusually quiet, and just like the cold street outside people hurried past each other, intent on getting to their destination while avoiding eye contact with others. Everyone seemed terrified; of the higher-ups, of each other…

Percy swallowed hard, tightening his cloak around him and pulling out his papers. He set a straight course up to his office, taking a short cut through the generally unused stairwell. Everything became completely silent walking down this gray, bleak corridor. The walls looked mildewed, and it was dark and windowless; the Magical Maintenance team obviously spent very little time here.

"I don't know what we should do, Tonks," said a voice worriedly from around a corner. Percy paused, not wanting to be seen creeping about the back halls of the Ministry. "I don't think we'll be safe in the open much longer."

Percy felt his blood run cold. He recognized that voice. His father.

Percy shifted his papers under one arm, leaning around the corner to see what was going on. He saw his father standing hunched over uneasily, speaking with the Auror, Nymphadora Tonks. She was huge, very far along in her pregnancy, and his father… his father just looked old. Alarming so. He was gray and worn, and stood like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Percy felt a hot wave of inexplicable guilt, twisting his stomach up in knots.

"I'm not sure, either, Arthur," replied Tonks quietly, worrying a strand of tomato red hair.

Arthur ran a hand through his scant hair, looking anxious and lost. "Ginny just came back for Easter holiday, you know. I'm wondering if it time to cut our losses, collect the boys and go into hiding. I've already worked out an agreement with Muriel. We can stay with her, if need be."

Tonks, nodded again, resting her hand on her plentiful stomach. "That's probably a good idea. The Ministry must be watching you closely, given that your family are blood-traitors and have such close ties with Harry."

"What about you, Tonks? You must be pretty far along. Doesn't the Ministry know that Remus is the father? Anti-werewolf sentiment is running pretty high."

Tonks nodded slowly. "Yes. Actually, I was planning on this being my last day before I go back to Remus' place full time. I just… I just have a few loose ends to tie up."

"Oh," Arthur nodded a bit. "All right. I guess I'll leave you to it th—"

"Arthur, wait!" called out Tonks, for the man was already beginning to retreat down the hallway.  
"I have something to talk to you about."

"Er… yes?"

"Well," Tonks ran a hand through her tomato-colored hair. "What are you going to do, if the Weasley family has to go into hiding? There are a lot of you."

Arthur heaved another sigh. "I've been obsessing over that for months," he admitted. "Fidelius charms, think. Bill will stay at his house, with his wife, and I'll take Ginny and Fred and George to Muriel's. Charlie's far enough away to be safe by himself."

"But what about…" Tonks lowered her voice, glancing around. "Percy?"

Percy felt himself flinch as the exact same time Arthur did so. The movement was practically identical. Father and son.

"He'll be fine." Arthur's voice had become hard and stiff, face impassive. "He works for the Ministry. He'll be fine."

Tonks eyes narrowed dangerously. She looked furious, and frankly, it was a terrifying sight to behold. "Goddammit, Arthur, you know that's not true! He may not know anything about the Order's efforts, or Harry Potter, but what's to stop them from thinking he does? Or just using him as a way to get one of you to talk?"

Arthur looked pained. "Tonks, he's not going to want our help—"

"I think if it's his life on the line, he might!"

"Tonks… you don't understand what Percy's like. Ever since he was a child… he was as stubborn as hell. He won't admit he needs us."

Percy felt his guts clench. Is that what he father thought of him? Stubborn, clueless, far too proud? _Is he wrong, though? _

"Arthur, I've been doing some research, and I found out—"

Percy didn't hear the rest what she had to say, and neither did his dad, because his idiotic, spastic body chose that very second to overbalance and jerk, causing his papers to spill out of his arms and scatter noisily across the floor. Arthur and Tonks turned towards him, surprised.

_Fuck! _screamed Percy in his head (something that he never did). _Fuck, fuck, fuck! _His face grew bright red as he scrambled on the ground to collect the papers and pushed past them, not making eye contact, not looking back.

He sped up to his office, slammed the door and attempted to immerse himself in his paperwork, failing miserably. Percy found himself glancing up at his door every few seconds, expecting someone to burst through. For several hours, no one did. He felt alternating waves of relief and disappointment, ebbing and flowing with each whiny scratch of his quill.

When the door finally opened, he nearly jumped out of his skin. But it was only Audrey, wide-eyed, hands shoved into her cloak pockets.

"Oh," Percy said, mood improving just at the sight of her. "Nice to see you Au—"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Audrey interrupted, voice unnaturally loud. She shuffled into the office, staring wildly around and closing the door. "I've come for the information on those reports, sir." Audrey stepped forward, digging around through the papers on his desk.

"Okay…" Percy rose to his feet, confused.

"I was wondering," she continued, carefully enunciating each syllable, "if you knew anything about those raining offices?"

"Ah, no…" Audrey turned to face him full on. She frantically mouthed something. "What?" he whispered. She mouthed it again. "What?" he asked louder, becoming annoyed. She waved her hands frenetically, motioning for him to quiet down.

"Are you bugged?" she hissed.

"Uh…" Percy was bemused at this point. "Do I have bugs…?"

"Bugs, bugs, listening devices! Didn't you take Muggle Studies?" snapped Audrey. "Can—they—hear—you?"

"Oh!" Percy finally understood. "No, they can't. We're safe in here."

"Thank _God,_" Audrey collapsed on his couch. Percy reflected on what a good idea that particular piece of furniture had been. She leapt up, eyes bright and focused on him and him alone. It was nice to see her looking so happy. She hadn't been so since Ayden was taken. "I've been meaning to talk to you!"

"About?" inquired Percy, extremely pleased that he was once again on the top of her priority list. So much of her time lately had been concentrated on Ayden, which was understandable, but…

His thoughts were broken off as Audrey grasped his face, turning it sharply so that the right side faced her. "Well, for one thing, have you healed?" she demanded.

Percy sighed, and almost shook his head before he remembered the state they were currently in. And he wasn't sure he wanted her to take her hands off his face…

Abruptly, there was a knock on the door, and they both jumped. Audrey quickly retreated into the shadows, literally disappearing with a nonverbal charm.

"Uh… yes?" answered Percy, straightening his robes and running a hand through his hair.

"It's me, sir," came the office assistant Macy's voice.

"Oh, yes, Macy, come in."

"Can you come out here, Mr. Weasley?" asked Macy. Her voice was high and breathless, like she was frightened about something. What the hell was going on now?

"Er… of course, Macy." Percy glanced at where he knew the invisible Audrey was standing and moved his wand to his front pocket before stepping outside. He waited several seconds more than necessary before closing the door after him.

Macy stood, alone and shaking with fear, in the middle of the deserted office lobby. Percy felt an inexplicable lump rising in his throat. "Yes?" he choked out after a few tries.

Macy looked like she was having difficulties with speech. She was staring off to their left a little bit. Percy turned, following her wavering gaze.

Pius Thicknesse, in all his black and gold glory, stepped out into the room, head high, surveying them all with a superior look on his face. This wasn't unusual, except that this whole section of the office was deserted.

"You may go, Ms. Turns," rumbled Thicknesse, and she sped away, leaving Percy alone with the man. His heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest, and he had to clench his hands into tight fists to keep them from shaking. Thicknesse sighed, stepping forward. He met Percy's gaze and shook his head theatrically.

"I've just received some disturbing information, Percy," said Thicknesse in a way that indicated something unpleasant was about to happen. Like the first gust of wind before a hurricane. Percy gulped as the man ambled closer towards him. "I've been told that your youngest brother was confirmed to be traveling with Undesirable Number One."

Percy's knees went so weak at that statement that he thought he was about to collapse. _Ron! Oh, no, oh, no… Did they capture him? Did they hurt him! _Another chilling thought hit him. _What about the rest of my family? Are they going to try to capture them and use them for a trade of sorts? What about me? I don't know anything, but will they think they can influence Ron by hurting me? _

"I…I didn't know," whispered Percy. "I thought he had Spattergroit."

"No, I'm afraid that was a lie. He was captured with the Undesirable and a mudblood." _Harry. Hermione. Oh, Merlin. _"Unfortunately, they escaped."

Percy tried his hardest to keep the relief out of his face. It became easier as Thicknesse reached out and placed a huge, cold hand on his shoulder. The grip was tight and controlling. Percy barely suppressed a shiver. "This is a pivotal moment in your career, Percy. Every person who has ever been successful has had at least one."

Percy could feel Thicknesse's breath on his cheek. It was sticky and disgusting. The man was way, way, _way_ too close to him. "Ministry officials are out searching for the other members of your blood traitor family. Several of them are coming here, to talk to you. They have been told to use any, ah, _force _that they deem necessary." Thicknesse whispered in a voice full of contempt. "Here is your decision. Are you with us, or against us?"

Percy was frozen. He couldn't think, or speak. He was just aware of the heavy hand on his shoulder and the breath on his face, both making him feel desperately sick. He was going to throw up all over the Minister of Magic's robes.

"_Stupefy!_" Percy felt the weight of the Minister's hand leave his shoulder as Thicknesse pitched forward, stunned. Percy leapt backward, whipping around towards the source of the spell. There was nothing, until suddenly Audrey appeared, looking pale and frightened.

"Come on!" she shouted, leaping forward and grabbing his arm.

"Uh…" Percy still couldn't move, stunned. His body felt frozen and heavy, and it seemed like his brain had shut down.

"We need to get out of here! They're going to send more people, Percy!" Audrey pulled him towards the corridor. "Wait, I have an idea." Audrey shoved her wand under Thicknesse's chin and cast a memory charm and Confundus charm in quick succession. Then she straightened up and looked him in the eyes. "Percy, where can you apparate out of here?"

"Uh…" thoughts were racing through Percy's head, none of which had to do with what Audrey was asking. _Ron… Fred and George… what about Ginny? Isn't she at school?_

"Percy!" Audrey grabbed his shoulders and shook him desperately. "Answer me!"

"We… we can't apparate out of here. Only the Atrium. New security."

Audrey let out a noise of frustration, fingers tearing at her hair. Then she stopped, looking like a thought had occurred to her. "Percy? What about the Minister's office?"

Percy blinked at her. Ice was spreading out in his chest from his heart. He was beginning to feel really scared. Here he was, trapped in a huge underground building filled with Death Eaters. "Uh… I think you can apparate out of there…"

"Come, on, let's go!" she grabbed him and tried to drag him towards the Minister's office at the end of a long corridor.

"Audrey! You can't be serious!"

"What? You heard him; people are coming to get you! We can't leave through the lifts; who would think to check the Minister's office?"

"Okay…"

They were halfway down the corridor when Percy saw the door to the lobby open, figures stepping inside. Audrey must have seen it, too, because before he knew it her fists were clenching his robes and dragging him into a broom closet. In a split second they were alone in a dark corner, face to face with no space between them. Now her breath was on his cheeks. Percy could see stark fear in her eyes as they met his gaze. They were so close together he could feel her heart fluttering wildly.

Heavy sets of footsteps were slowly making their way towards the broom closet where they stood. Percy and Audrey could hardly pull their wands out of their pockets quietly in the limited space. Percy prayed that his heartbeat wouldn't alert them to his location.

The footsteps were dangerously close. _I'm going to die, _Percy realized. _I'm going to die, and so is Audrey. _So much time for everything will be lost.

For the first time in his life, Percy did something impulsive. He just couldn't help it. Percy grabbed Audrey's shoulders, leaned in and kissed her with everything he had. And after a few seconds, she kissed him back, pressing her frame against his. It was about ten times as great as he had ever imagined.

And then he heard the door to the broom closet creak open, and it occurred to Percy that he was going to die, murdered by Death Eaters in a Ministry broom closet while his tongue was in a girl's mouth. Not the way he had expected to go, but Fred and George would certainly be proud.


	22. The Way Things Have to Be

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language._

_A/N: The stuff in italics below is the ending of the last chapter…_

Chapter 22

_And then he heard the door to the broom closet creak open, and it occurred to Percy that he was going to die, murdered by Death Eaters in a Ministry broom closet while his tongue was in another person's mouth. Not the way he had expected to go, but Fred and George would certainly be proud._

Light flooded the broom closet, and Percy and Audrey broke apart immediately with a wet noise. His hand was still on her hip, lips still tingling, when he heard a familiar voice comment tartly:

"Well, I guess we really didn't have to worry about _him_."

Percy wheeled around the face the open door, wand out and hands shaking with fear and adrenaline, to see—

"Bill?" he gasped.

"Shit," muttered Audrey, shifting awkwardly. "I didn't see that one coming."

Standing in the doorway were none other than Tonks and Bill Weasley. There was a slight smirk on Bill's face, but Percy could detect a bit of worry and a lot of relief in his eyes. Suddenly, those eyes widened as they settled on Audrey. "You! You're the one from the picture."

"What now?" Audrey shot back, startled.

"You're Audrey White," replied Tonks, looking urgent and anxious to speak. "Listen, I've been doing some research and found out some information about—"

Bill shot the Auror an incredulous look. "Whatever! That doesn't matter! Look, Percy—" he grabbed his arm and tugged him forward, out of the closet, and Percy felt himself flinch involuntarily. "We need to get out of here. You-Know-You's trying to capture Weasley's!"

"I know!" Percy hissed, remembering Thicknesse's display. "Believe me, I know! The Minister just tried to make me join the Death Eaters!"

Surprise and then anger flashed in Bill's pale blue eyes. "What the hell? So then you decided to snog some random girl in a broom closet?"

"Hey!" said Audrey crossly, appearing by his side, arms crossed, irritated by the description. Percy could literally _feel _the situation spinning out of control. "I'm not some random girl!"

"I know!" interjected Tonks, looking relieved to have a chance to talk. "And I know about Aiden."

Percy felt himself jerk back in shock. _What? Did the Order find him? _

"WHAT?" Audrey practically screamed, obviously thinking the same thing. "Ayden? Where is he? Did you find him? Is he okay?" she asked desperately.

Tonks just seemed confused. "What? _You're _looking for _him_? You're worried about whether or not he's okay?"

Audrey deflated slightly, apparently realizing that Tonks knew nothing of the truth of Ayden's predicament. _Of course, neither does Audrey… _Percy said, remembering everything about Ayden's past he had chosen not to reveal. "Yeah… he's our friend!" Audrey snapped, stubbornly using present tense, refusing to believe anything to the contrary. At the shocked look on Tonks face, she continued "Why? What did you think?"

"That he was trying to kill you…" Tonks said in a small voice, wrapping her arms around her swollen belly.

Suddenly Bill cut off the conversation, loudly and angrily. "I don't know who Ayden is, and I don't care! We need to get out of here, right now before someone comes and tries to take you!" He lunged forward to grab him again, but Percy jumped out of range. "Stop messing around!" Bill growled.

Percy felt Audrey's finger nails dig into his skin as her hand settled on his wand arm. "What are you doing, Bill?" Percy asked heatedly.

"You need to come back with me, Percy," barked Bill. "To Shell Cottage. I've put on a Fidelius Charm, so we'll be safe there."

Percy glanced past Bill's shoulder, to where Thicknesse was lying. He could have sworn the Minister twitched slightly. "No," Percy said quietly, feeling the warmth of Audrey's hand on his arm. "No, I don't think I can."

Bill's expression turned from annoyed and anxious to completely thunderous. Percy recognized that face from his childhood. It was not associated with happy memories. "Look here, you little prat. I get that you're ambitious and stubborn, and you can't help that, and that both you and Dad could have handled this whole situation better, but _enough._" Bill snarled the last word, making Percy jump. "I'm not going to let you carry out this stupid argument until you get killed. Because that's what's going to happen Percy," he added as Percy's eyebrows shot up into his hair.

There was some truth to what Bill was saying. Percy was indeed mortified by the idea of going back to face his family. What was he supposed to say? _But that's not just it, _he reminded himself. _I need to help Audrey and Lynn with the muggle-borns. If I can't be a part of the Ministry, I can still help! Bill will understand eventually. As long as we both stay alive. _

Percy drew in a deep breath, trying to calm himself, something Bill obviously wasn't attempting to do. His older brother's face was the same color as his hair. It was borderline hilarious. Did he always look like that when he was telling off Fred and George? No wonder they never took him seriously. "

"Listen to me, Bill," he began slowly. "It's not that simple—"

Suddenly Thicknesse jerked noticeably, sitting halfway up the wall, looking disoriented. "Shit!" yelped Audrey. She darted past him, Bill and Tonks, to where the man was wallowing on the ground. Percy was about to shout to her to stun him when Audrey pulled her foot back and then snapped it forward, kicking Thicknesse in his meaty throat. The man immediately keeled over.

"Audrey!" Percy choked out. "You—are—a—_witch_. That's barbaric!" _She just attacked him, without magic or anything! _

Audrey was standing there lamely, arms hanging by her sides. She leaned over the Minister's unmoving body. "Oh, crap, I think I kicked his throat all the way in."

"What?" demanded Percy, pushing past his bewildered brother.

"I mean, I think he's dead," Audrey said, with nothing more than mild curiosity in her voice. "Oh, dear. This could potentially be a problem."

"Audrey!" wailed Percy. _What the hell are we going to do? _Trapped in an office with the dead Minister, with Death Eaters on the way?

"No, no," said Tonks hurriedly. "He's breathing, look!" The man was breathing, slowly but steadily. Percy considered healing the red mark, which would certainly develop into a nasty bruise, on the Minister's throat. He decided against it. Why help a dirty Death Eater, whether he was Imperiused or not?

"What should we do?" he asked, glancing around at his companions. Tonks looked sick, Bill confused and Audrey nervous.

"I put a memory charm on him before," said Audrey, stepping backward. "He shouldn't remember any of this."

"How powerful was the charm?" Percy questioned. Audrey stared blankly back at him. He clicked his tongue impatiently.

"How much of his memory will he lose?" he clarified edgily.

"Um… two weeks? Maybe three?"

Percy's stomach did a back flip. _Three weeks? _"Audrey!" he yelled in an exasperated voice. He may as well be dealing with one of his brothers, for Merlin's sake!

"What's the big deal?" she sounded defensive.

"What are they going to think when the Minister of Magic wakes up without three weeks of his memory?"

Audrey tossed her hair. "Does it really matter? We'll be long gone, and we won't be coming back."

"Yes, thank you," Bill spoke up, sounding relieved. He reached out to Percy again. "Come on, let's go."

Percy circled around behind him, Audrey following after him. "Where are you going?" asked Bill.

"We're going to disapparate out of the Minister's office. You two should, too." Audrey stepped inside the Minister's office, which was still open from Thicknesse's ill fated departure.

"What?" Bill looked irritated. "No; Percy, you need to come with m—"

His voice was drowned out by the thundering of footsteps from the outside of the hallway, people hammering on the door. Tonks doubled over, looking like she was in pain. Bill immediately went to her, trying to keep her upright.

"Go!" Percy shouted to Bill over the noise. "You need to get her out here!"

Bill seemed to realize he was right, but he obviously still was worried. "What about you?" he yelled back, taking hold of Tonks, ready to disapparate with her in tow.

"I'll be fine, I promise!" Percy stared imploringly at him. "Just let me go with Audrey, take Tonks! It's the way things have to be!"

Bill seemed to be undergoing some inner personal battle. When the pounding of the Death Eaters on the door started sending bits of plaster dust dropping from the ceiling, he finally conceded. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Percy smiled, in spite of the danger they were all in. "Oh, come on Bill. How long have you known me?"

A smile graced Bill's scarred face as well. "Long enough not to expect a straight answer from you, I guess." He held his wand with one hand, the other on Tonks' shoulders. "Take care."

"Bye," Percy whispered as they disappeared with a crack.

"Come on," Audrey called to him. She had slipped her arms under Thicknesse's delirious form, trying to lift him. "Let's put him up, see if we can't confuse the masses!" She jerked her head towards the door, which was rhythmically being pushed inward by people throwing their bodies against it.

Somehow, they managed to lift Thicknesse to his feet, slapping him in the face until he was remotely conscious. They leaned him on the wall. Audrey tucked his wand in his pocket.

"What is this meant to accomplish?" he hissed to Audrey, gasping with exertion from dragging Thicknesse's heavy body.

Quickly, Audrey healed the mark on his throat and, pressing her wand to his forehead, murmured a spell he couldn't understand. A red wound blossomed on his flesh, trickling blood. "They'll think he took a fall," she explained. "Not that you've had anything to do with it."

"Eventually they'll notice that I'm not coming into work, and realize that I'm not supporting the Ministry anymore! What's the point?"

Audrey just shook her head, took him gently by the upper arms and they disapparated. It was only then he remembered their kiss, just moments before.

Percy was relieved from the dark, tight hell that was side-along apparation, glancing around to see that he and Audrey were alone in a dimly lit room. The floor and ceiling were dank wood; whatever portion of the wall that wasn't covered by towering, stuffed bookshelves was obscured with yellowed maps of foreign countries and old-fashioned constellation charts. A single desk sat in the middle, covered with heavy, leather-bound ledgers propped over and filled with messy, scrawled notes. To Percy, it looked like the hiding place of a scholar turned madman. Slowly, he turned to face Audrey. Her eyes flickered in the pale light.

"Uh… Audrey? How do I put this?" he began, leafing through the pages of one of the ledgers. It was written in a language he didn't quite understand. Latin, he was pretty sure. "What the hell is this place?"

Audrey blinked. "My storage house," she explained, moving towards one of the windows. Percy saw a flash of dark forest before she snapped the curtains shut. "I built in when I was working on a research project a few years ago."

"Where are we, though?" Percy asked frowning and tightening his robes. It was cold here.

"Uh… Albania, I think. That's right." She sat down on the desk, pushing some of the ledgers onto the floor and patting the surface next to her. Percy settled himself down next to her with a sigh. He dropped his head into his hands.

"Does… does this mean I'm on the run now?" He turned his head to see Audrey's profile. They were sitting rather close together.

"Yeah, Percy, I'm pretty sure it does. It's either that, or you're going to get captured."

_Of all the things I've ever thought my life would amount to, being on the run from the Ministry at age 21 was certainly not it, _he thought.

_But it's better than excelling in an establishment built by Voldemort, isn't it? _a second voice in his head countered.

_I'm sitting here in the middle of the goddamn Albanian forest! I thought that by this age I'd at least have a good, respectable job, where I didn't have to fetch people's paperwork, _the first voice continued petulantly.

_Oh, right. Did having a beautiful, smart girl in your life ever come into that plan?_

_I could always meet someone after becoming Minister of Magic. Someone in the highest level of the Ministry, not an American on the run from her government, and Switzerland's… not to mention Puerto Rico! _

_Stop being such a goddamn prude, Weasley! You love her! Just admit it, Goddammit! _

_Er… what? I think you've gone off point, there._

_No, you're the one who's off point, you miserable bastard. _

"Audrey?" he mumbled, voice wrenching the still air.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder if you're schizophrenic?"

"Oh, all the time," Audrey replied casually. She shifted position completely, so that she was facing him head on. Percy turned as well, so that their gazes were completely locked.

"So…" Audrey started a few minutes later, picking at the fabric of her pants. Something in her voice sparked his attention.

"Yes?" he said, suddenly and inexplicably eager.

"Um… in the broom closet like that… was that just adrenaline, or…" Percy's heart was fluttering wildly as she continued awkwardly, not making eye contact with him. He couldn't force the words out to communicate with her. Finally, Audrey dragged her gaze upward to meet his. Blue connected with hazel. She took a deep breath, and then: "Or was it something else?"

Percy just stared at her, nearly hyper-ventilating. After a few attempts at speech, he gave up, leaned in a kissed her again. Percy's arms wrapped around her waist as Audrey's moved slowly up his back, kiss remaining unbroken.


	23. Miracle

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language. _

Chapter 23

Percy and Audrey left the ramshackle building the next day at noon, to another one of the stations. It was overcrowded, Audrey explained in length, for a variety of reasons. Percy didn't really pay attention, however; he was too busy watching her face, the way her eyes lit when she spoke and her lips moved. Merlin, she was beautiful. _And I know first hand,_ thought Percy smugly. _I wonder if Fred and George would ever believe _that.

They were in the woods now, outside the station, where several wizards and witches were queuing up.

Audrey suddenly snapped her fingers in front of his face, and Percy's eyes snapped back to meet her gaze. "Percy?" she said, biting her lip, sounding worried. "Are you listening to me?"

Percy smiled sheepishly at her. "Yes. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little distracted is all."

"Oh," Audrey looked down and shuffled her feet, looking embarrassed. "Is it about last night? Because if you have any regrets…"

Percy was horrified at the very thought. He shook his head vehemently. "No! No, definitely not. Absolutely not! I, I l—…" he broke off.

Audrey gave a wide smile, swept in kissed him for a long moment. When she pulled back, her smile was mirrored on his face. "Have fun putting up the security spells," she said.

Percy blinked. "Is that what I'm doing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just ask Carl," she laughed. "The wizard I told you about?"

"Uh…" Percy had no recollection of this.

"Jeez!" Audrey burst out, pushing him on the chest playfully. "A day ago you were a calm, attentive, rational person. Does sex do this to_ all_ men?"

Percy's eyes flew wide open. "What?"

"Talk to the wizard with the long brown hair!" she told him. "Just go! I'll be in the station with the refugees. See you later." They shared another kiss, and then she hurried off through the trees. Percy watched her go, hearing one of the men wolf whistle after her. He turned. It was Carl.

Percy walked up to him, carefully studying his face. There were no visible signs of deception or insincerity. "I'm supposed to be working with you?" he intoned.

Carl nodded, his long brown hair getting in his face. Briefly, Percy was reminded of his brother Bill. The memory came with a strong feeling of anxiety. Had the rest of his family gotten away from the Death Eaters? He was pretty sure Ginny would have been home for the holidays, and Fred and George could be easily reached in Diagon Alley. Charlie would be safe with his dragons. But what about his Dad? Surely Bill would have gone to save Arthur before coming to the Minister's office for him.

"All right then," said the man in a strong Scottish accent, jolting Percy from his thoughts. "We'll be spreading out along the perimeter putting up safety wards." He held his wand in one hand, resting the fist on his hip. "You know any protective spells, er…?"

"Percy." Percy responded with a nod of greeting. "And yes. Uh… '_protego totalum', 'salvio hexia', 'cave inmicum' _… yes, that's about it."

Carl nodded. "That'll be great. All right, mates," he continued, raising his voice. "Let's move out!"

They began to weave through the trees, trailing colorful wards of magic in their wakes.

It was several hours later when Audrey glanced up from the currency she was sorting to see Carl, Percy and the others walking through the door, covered in leaves and twigs, looking tired but triumphant. Audrey frowned, seeing that Percy had let his charms down, and she could fully make out the scars on his face. They weren't as healed as she had hoped. The flesh was still criss-crossed and pot marked.

Catching her gaze, Percy smiled tiredly. "Everything's warded. Double warded, actually, against muggles and wizards. We're good."

Audrey let out a sigh of relief. "Great. That's one less thing I have to worr—"

Her voice was cut off by the sudden, desperate sound of a baby crying out. High, shrill sobs filled the small building.

"Can't you shut that thing up?" shouted a voice angrily. Audrey groaned. Not this again!

"I'm trying!" wailed another, female voice.

Percy frowned, stepping past her to look into the adjoining room where the refugees sat. A young blond woman was cradling a hysterical baby in her lap, frantically trying to get it to be quiet. Everyone else was glaring at her.

"That's Magnolia," Audrey whispered into Percy's ear, seeing the confused frown on his face. "Her baby's been crying a lot lately; she can't get it to be quiet and it's really bothering everybody."

"But it's just a little baby…" Percy said slowly without turning towards her. There was a distant, faraway look in his eyes, like he was recalling a memory from long ago.

"I know!" she burst out. "But everyone's really on edge, and…" _and every little thing is annoying the hell out of them. _

Percy pushed past her into the room. Before Audrey could ask him what he was doing, he had crouched down next to Magnolia, face softening.

"Hello there," he said softly to her. The woman raised her head trepidatiously, tears streaming down her face as her baby continued to shriek. Audrey was astounded at the tenderness in Percy's expression as he gazed down on it. "That little one's got quite a pair of lungs on him."

Magnolia sniffed, seeming hopeful at the kind presence before her. Her eyes lingered on Percy's scars for a while before she answered. "His name's Simon," she offered, again trying to hush the tiny, sobbing person. Everyone else in the room had become silent, watching the pair.

"Simon." Percy nodded. "A good name, a strong name. 'He who listens', isn't that what it means?"

"Yes," Magnolia sat up slightly, a new spirit in her eyes. "It was my husband's idea…" Suddenly her face fell, new tears springing up in her crystal blue eyes. "I wasn't supposed to have to do this on my own!" she cried, shoulder shaking. "My husband was supposed to help me, and my mum. But they're both, they're both…"

Percy's eyes were filled with sadness. "He's beautiful," he murmured soothingly, changing the subject. "How old?"

Magnolia had to try several times to be heard over Simon's screams. "Five months," she finally choked out.

"Would you mind terribly if I held him?" The smile on his face was so classically Percy. Overly polite, but the tiniest bit crooked, if you looked hard enough.

After a few seconds of consideration, Magnolia transferred the baby to Percy's arms. He held Simon in a practiced, kindly way.

"You see," Percy began, gently stroking the baby's face. "I was just five years old when You-Know-You was vanquished the first time. My family was a huge Death Eater target back then. I can remember one time when I was in the house with my brothers, and the Death Eaters came looking for us." Magnolia's eyes were wide as she listened to his story. Audrey's were, too.

"My parents had told us what to do if this happened," Percy continued, still carefully attending to the baby locked in his arms. "There was a secret room in the basement we were to go to. At the time, I had one older brother not in school, and three younger brothers. Two of them were twin toddlers, and the other was about Simon's age, named Ron. My older brother Charlie kept the twins occupied and silent while the Death Eaters were passing by, but he couldn't possibly handle them _and _the baby." A small smile graced Percy's features at the thought. "So that left the job of keeping Ron quiet," he concluded, tightening Simon's blanket around him, "to me."

The whole room looked on in disbelief as the baby's cries slowed, and suddenly Simon was just cooing gently. Percy smiled benevolently as a pudgy hand reached up to his face. "It's not such a hard job, once you get used to it."

A stunned Magnolia took her calmed baby, staring up at Percy as though he was an angel. Percy walked, taciturn, out of the room. After a minute spent collecting herself, Audrey followed to find him leaning against a doorframe, looking pensive.

"Hey," Audrey greeted him softly. He seemed so lost in thought. Not for the first time, she wondered what his childhood must have been like, growing up in Britain during Voldemort's reign.

For several minutes, they stood in silence. Then Percy looked up at her. "He's a Metamorphmagus, you know."

"What? Who?"

"Simon. I saw his hair change color while I was holding him."

Audrey shook her head, not believing. "But that's impossible. Metamorphmagi run in families, and Simon's mother is a muggle-born and his father is…was a muggle."

Percy shrugged. "Just a miracle then, I guess." With that, he tapped the door frame twice and swept out into the trees.


	24. Potterwatch

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: I have no idea if radios work like this. Just humor me and assume it's some bizarre way Wizard Wirelesses work. I just wanted to get a certain two characters talking and this was the only way I could think of. _

Chapter 24

Fred Weasley stared out the window, an uncharacteristic frown set between his brows. So much had happened in the past months; George had lost an ear, Bill got married, Ron had run off with Harry and Hermione and now the whole Weasley family was in hiding. Wrenching himself from his thoughts, Fred scanned the ground outside for signs of disturbance. Nothing. Apparently, the Death Eaters still knew nothing about this particular broadcasting sight of _Potterwatch. _

"Hey, _Rapier,_" called Lee playfully, and Fred turned around plastering on a grin. "You're on."

"You got it," Fred replied, sitting down. He slapped the headphones on and leaned over the microphone, preparing to speak and have his voice sent out to hundreds (okay, maybe not hundreds, but a guy can dream, can't he?) of Harry Potter supporters. Fred sincerely hoped the little twerp was aware of exactly how much they were pulling for him.

Fred cleared his throat and began confidently, "Thanks, River. This is Rapier. Now, before I officially begin, I'd like to remind our listeners that—"

They all cringed as a sudden, violent burst of static crackled over the system. Fred whipped off his headphones and threw them on the table, shouting, "What hell was that?"

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice was calling over their frequency. "Hello? Carl? Is that you?"

Fred and Lee exchanged a confused, wary glance. "No…" said Lee slowly. "Who is this?"

"This is station 3-0-0 on the Wizard Underground. Did we get our signals crossed, or something?" a female voice, he could tell, sounding alarmed and confused.

Fred felt his eyes nearly bulge out of his head. The Wizard Underground? Sure, he had heard about them in stories, fearless people who smuggled the persecuted out of the country, but they didn't think they actually existed. He had just assumed it was a way people kept their spirits up, talking about a way to freedom.

Fred leapt forward and seized the mic. "This is _Potterwatch, _3-0-0. What are you broadcasting at?"

"_Potterwatch?_" the voice said excitedly. "Oh my god, I love listening to you guys!"

_Oh yeah, that's right_, thought Fred smugly. _The Wizard Underground exists and they like listening to _me _on the Wireless. _

Fred was about to respond when he heard another voice, this one a little less unfamiliar. "Who are you talking to?" it demanded, and the pompous, unrelenting tone was one he had learned as a child to avoid whenever possible and mock when not. Was that… _Percy? _PERCY? What the hell was he doing at a station for refugees? He felt a chill of horror. Had Percy got into some kind of trouble? When they had all gone into hiding, he had just assumed that the Death Eaters left Percy the-Ministry-worker Weasley. Now Fred saw how stupid that was. _Of course_ they would go after Percy as well.

"This is _Potterwatch, _3-0-0," he whispered.

Potent silence from the other end of the line, and then, "Hello, _Potterwatch. _Sorry for interrupting your show."

Percy had to realize he was talking to his brother. He had to. So why wasn't Percy saying anything, acknowledging this? But then again, neither was he, Fred …

Fred let out a shaky breath, earning himself a curious look from Lee. _You have to act natural! _he told yourself. _What would you do if it was anyone else?_ Steeling his resolve, Fred grinned and leaned forward, saying cheerfully, "Hey, 3-0-0. So you're part of the Wizard Underground, huh?"

"Uh… that's right…" Percy sounded confused.

"We've heard some rumors about you guys," Fred continuing casually. "That you smuggle anyone that the Death Eaters are trying to find out the country, that you work to find their families as well. Is that true?"

"We do what we can," came the prideful, pompous reply. "But yes, that's what we try to do, for the most part."

"Well, I'm sure a lot of our listeners would love to be able to get in on that. What advice would you have to someone, searching for a way out?"

Percy seemed to be considering his answer. "I…I would tell them to never give up hope, and remember that a true friend is always just a 'Freedom's Breath' away. I hope that helps. We always welcome people in need."

Fred was confused for a few seconds, and then suddenly he remembered something, lyrics to a song he hadn't heard in a long time. The memory came with a feeling of a warm, loving caress and a soft, cool springing of hope. Fred smiled softly. They had certainly chosen a good way of drawing people in well. "Thanks, 3-0-0. I'm sure you're really helping people."

"I hope so, _Potterwatch. _I'll let you get back to your show. Er… over and out."

Fred almost let him go. Almost. "Wait!"

"Yes, _Potterwatch?_"

Fred tried to swallow the dry lump in his throat. "Well… just remember…" he cleared his throat noisily. "That, er, that a lot of people out there are counting on you guys. Just… just stay safe, all right, 3-0-0?"

After a few seconds, he replied in a hushed voice, "Will do, _Potterwatch._" A click told him that they were no longer in connection.

And, halfway across Europe, two brothers dropped their heads onto their arms in identical motions, letting out identical groans.


	25. The Reserve

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten! Thanks, guys! You're the best!_

Chapter 25

Audrey paced the length of the room, walking back and forth, back and forth. She was sure that she was wearing down the floor, and soon she would be standing in a little rut in the ground. Finally, the door opened, and a confused, tired-looking Lynn stepped inside.

"Lynn!" Audrey gasping, coming to a halt. "Thank God!"

"What happened?" Lynn asked, closing the door and leaning on it. "You sounded like you were really panicking!"

Audrey sighed, slamming her side against the wall and resting her forehead on it. "It is! It's… Percy."

Lynn's eyebrows shot up to dangerous heights. "What did you do?" she asked edgily.

Audrey smiled sheepishly. "Uh… him?"

"Oh Merlin!" Lynn's hands flew to her face. "Audrey, you had me really worried! I was scared it was something really bad. So you slept with him? I thought you wanted to. And I can tell Percy likes you too. So what's the big deal?"

"Well, I don't know," shot Audrey back, feeling peeved. "It's the middle of a war! It's not the time to go around jumping into bed with people. All you ever hear about times like this is that people start rushing into relationships because they think they're about to die. It's true!" she added, seeing Lynn roll her eyes. "Admit it; you said that that almost happened between _you _and Percy!"

Lynn shook her head in an irritatingly patronizing way. "But it didn't, did it? And besides, not every couple forged in wartime is doomed to fail. Often, they're actually stronger."

"Name one," Audrey retorted.

"Uh… Percy's parents? He told me that they got together in the heat of the first war, and they've been together for decades and had seven children."

"Oh… right." Audrey nodded slowly. "Okay. I…I think I've calmed down now." She sat down, sprawling across the floor. She sighed again, heavily. "But you should have seen the way Percy dealt with that baby, though…"

Lynn's eyes widened. "Wait, what? What baby? Is there something I should know about? Do I get to be Godmother?"

"What? No! Jesus, no! Not _my _baby!" Audrey shook her head in horror. "One of the muggle-born's kids. It was crying and sobbing and no one could calm it down. Then he just came along, held little Simon, talked for a while and everything was fine. It was just… it was just really incredible."

Lynn smiled softly.

Charlie Weasley gazed up at the hot sun, wiping sweat from his brow. He had been out for hours and hours, dealing with the dragons. It was clear to every wizard and witch on the reserve that the Death Eaters were looking for dragons to consolidate their Dark power, which made Charlie's job of capturing, healing and containing the huge beasts even more important. But his current problem wasn't the Death Eaters—he was trying to put that out of his mind for now. No, his current problem was a defiant, ridiculously intelligent Hungarian Horntail named Titus.

Right now, he was wheeling above the dragon pens, roaring and blowing concentrated streams of fire at any workers who dared venture to close.

Charlie let out a grunt of frustration just as one of his coworkers, a rather eccentric wizard named Terri, appeared beside him, in a similar state.

"Isn't there anything we can do to keep that monster under control?" Charlie asked him through gritted teeth.

Terri gazed past him out at the dragon for a few seconds, in time to see several dragon keepers thwarted in their attempt to subdue him. Without moving his gaze, he replied seriously, "Ever get the feeling that it's smarter than we are?" Terri sighed and turned. "Didn't you say you knew the woman who trained him?" Charlie nodded. "Can't you go find her?"

Charlie stamped his foot angrily. "No! I barely know_ who_ she is, much less _where_ she is. The only chance of getting her here is if she comes on her own for a visit."

"Yeah…" Terri said solemnly. "Well, we better hope she shows up soon, or—"

There was a resounding crash, and the terrified screams of workers mingled with the startled roar of the dragons as a wall of solid blue-white light slammed into them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
_Half an hour later._

Percy was pacing restlessly in the safe house when Audrey came running it, a smile on her face and an adventure in her head. He was actually kind of glad for the distraction, even if it came it the form of a wild, impulsive outing. He really hated being cooped up inside, even if most of his brothers would say otherwise. He preferred being inside, of course; when he knew he was _allowed_ to go out. So when Audrey came sprinting in the room spouting she wanted to go see Titus at a reserve that had taken him in, he was more than happy to comply. Even if it meant that he could possibly run into one of his brothers. After talking to Bill and Fred, the prospect didn't seem so scary anymore.

"All right, Audrey, I'll accompany you," he replied patronizingly. She beamed at him, and they disapparated, appearing seconds later on a sloping green hill overlooking the reserve. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw several dragons lumbering across the ground, grumbling. They seemed overly lethargic, almost sedated. The ends of Percy's mouth curved down in a deep frown. _Something is off here…_

He felt Audrey touch his arm, and turned to face her, still uneasy. "Listen," she said. "I feel I should warn you. This is the Romanian branch where your brother works and—"

She broke off as Percy, noticing some strange movement by one of the dragon pits, walked a few paces away from her.

"Percy, wait!" Audrey whined, trailing after him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you! I thought it was about time you—"

"Shh!" He grabbed her arm, giving her a gentle squeeze. She fell silent as he pointed across the reserve, towards where a group of black-cloaked figures stood grouped on the edge of the pit.

"Oh my God…" whispered Audrey as they slowly lowering themselves to the ground, out of the line of sight of the people. "What are the goddamn chances!" she hissed, suddenly infuriated. "What are the goddamn chances that the _one day_ we choose to come the place is under fucking Death Eater attack?" As Percy desperately tried to quiet her, Audrey rolled back on her heels, shaking her fist at the sky. "I bet you think this is really funny up there, don't you?" Percy could only assume that she had lost her mind, was talking to God, or, most likely, both. He chose to ignore her.

Percy could see the dark shapes of Death Eaters, who appeared to be forcing a group of three others down into the pit. _They must be dragon keepers,_ Percy realized,mouth dry. Hurriedly, he scanned these people and saw… _shit. _Red hair, shockingly head hair reflecting the sun, hair that topped off a muscular stout body. There was only one person in the world that that description could apply to. _The Death Eaters had his brother. NOT. GOOD. _

He could hear Audrey's breath beside him becoming shallow and labored. "We need to get out of here, Percy," she said, pushing herself up into a crouching position, ready to spring up and flee. "There are too many of them; they're going to see us and we'll be done for."

Audrey was right, of course. There were far too many Death Eaters for them to take out on their own, and the dragons were obviously drugged, so that wasn't an option. But it was his brother, down in that pit with the other keepers, like sitting ducks. They could be so easily killed from that vantage point. They were already in their own mass grave. How could Percy let that happen?

The look on his face must have been giving away what he had been planning on doing, because he had barely risen to his feet when Audrey said in a low, warning voice, "We need to leave, _now_. Don't even think about it."

Percy nodded slowly, following her up a few steps up the hill. Then he paused and looked back. Audrey caught the movement. "I'm serious Percy. You'll get yourself killed. Even you couldn't be that stupid."

"I know…" Percy replied, his brow still furrowed.

"Good," Audrey breathed, sounding relieved. "For a second there, I—"

She abruptly stopped talking as Percy sprinted past her, down the hill and towards the dragon pens…. and towards the Death Eaters. Audrey gnashed her teeth in frustration. What the hell was wrong with that boy?

"You're killin' me, Percy!" she yelled, rushing after him. "You—are—_killing_ me!"

Percy reached the back of the reserve building before he couldn't run anymore and leaned over the railing of one of the dragon pens, panting. He really needed to start working out. Peeking around the edge of the building, Percy could see the shapes of the Death Eaters milling about the pit. As he watched, one of them slipped down the embankment and out of sight. Percy swallowed hard. He needed to get down there! But how? He was badly outnumbered, and they were too far away for him to curse them from where he stood well hidden. Maybe he could—

And as a warm cloud of breath touched his face, Percy realized that the Death Eaters weren't the only thing he was close to. A huge, sleek, red-orange dragon lay slumbering in the enclosure next to him, a constant stream of smoke and little plumes of fire billowing from its nostrils, making the scars on Percy's cheek tingle painfully. Another gust of moist breath slipped past his face, blowing his hair back. Percy gulped as it hit him that the dragon wasn't fully asleep. Through half-closed lids, he could see dull yellow eyes gazing out at him.

"Staring contest?" A voice snarled behind him. Percy jumped and turned but it was only Audrey, her hazel eyes hard and angry. "What the hell was that? I told you—"

"Look." Percy cut her off sharply, no longer caring about the dragon huffing behind him. "That's my brother down there? What am I supposed to do, leave him and the other dragon keepers to die? No! I'm going down to help them! You can help or not; I don't care." Percy pressed his back against the Reserve building, pulling his wand out and preparing for a fight. He lifted his gaze to Audrey's, searching for an answer.

And the look on her face told him she wasn't about to let him go by himself. Immediately, Audrey had her wand out and was by his side in a second.

"Okay," she said briskly, suddenly all-business. She glanced from the dragon pits back to Percy. "By my count, we have four Death Eaters to deal with."

"And at least one in the pit with the dragon keepers," Percy responded quickly.

Audrey gave a jerky nod. "Do we have a count on the dragon keepers?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I think five."

"All right Perce," Audrey whispered to him. "I have a plan. We go through the Reserve building and come at them from the flank. We'll have to be fast. I hope you can cast from far away, because—"

Percy was barely listening to her. It seemed like a good plan, but it was going to take far too long. And other black-cloaked figure had slipped into the empty dragon pen with the keepers—and Charlie. "No time," he bit out. "We have to go. Now."

"What?" Audrey sounded alarmed. "We can't—we'll never make it! They'll see us long before we get close enough to hit them, and surprise is our only chance to win when we're outnumbered!"

"There's no time! Those keepers are practically sitting in their own mass grave! I was the best sharp shooter in my Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I can do it—with or without you!" Percy turned and starting sprinting across the sandy ground, weaving through the snoring dragons. Audrey was at his heels.

Percy counted twelve seconds before he was close enough to attack. With a slash of his wand and a jet of purple light straight to a Death Eater's foot, the cloaked figure crashed to the ground with a howl and a spurt of blood. Audrey leapt up and started shooting off spells of her own, causing the remaining Death Eaters to scatter.

Percy caught the motion of a Death Eater, whipping around so fast his hood was blown off, revealing—Rodolphus Lestrange? Husband of the woman who had tortured the Longbottoms to insanity?

Percy felt a wave of boiling rage rushing through his body, making his skin crawl and heart pound. He hadn't felt this way since Marcus Flint called his girlfriend a mudblood.

Or since that night with his father.

Percy dove to the ground and sprawled onto his back as a stunner flew by him. Audrey leapt over his body, engaging with Lestrange in a heated duel. By the time Percy was one his feet, they had moved a dozen meters away from him.

"Go!" Audrey shouted at him, stopping one of Lestrange's green curses and throwing a bright orange one back. "Get the guys in the pit free! I'll take care of this idiot!"

Lestrange roared in anger at her jibe and jabbed his wand at her. Fire burst next to Audrey's feet, in brilliant cascades of red and orange. She stumbled backward, glanced up and saw him coming towards their duel. "Go!" she screamed again, leaping behind the fire, stopping Lestrange from getting any closer.

It killed him to leave her, but Percy knew that Audrey could handle herself. He ran to the edge of the embankment, feet kicking up clouds of dirt. Through the screen of dust and dirt, Percy could make out several figures in the bottom of the pit. There seemed to be a struggle going on between them.

Percy raised his wand and was about to slide down and fight when a shadow fell over him. Percy had started whipping around when he felt a hand seize the back of his robes and throw him forward, down into the pit. Percy's wand was ripped from his hand and he crashed face first into the sand. Pain exploded in his mouth along with the warm, metallic taste of blood. He was desperately trying to get up when a boot pressed into his back, holding him down.

"Stop!" a shrill voice commanded above Percy's head. "Stop fighting and line up against the wall or I kill him!" It was undoubtedly the person who had Percy pinned down—every word was punctuated with stomp on his back. Percy gagged, trying to raise his head to spit the blood out of his mouth. Through the broken veins of his glasses, Percy could barely make out the shape of five people being lined up on the side of the pit by two more black-clothed figures with their hoods down. Squirming under the weight on his back, Percy struggled to lift his head all the way up. _Bloody hell! _he thought. _This is one fucked up rescue. _

"_Percy?_"

Percy saw one of the keepers—one with bright red hair— surge forward. That was more than enough to tell who had spoken, but Percy didn't need it. He would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Charlie.

"Let him go!" Charlie snarled, pushing forward again. One of the Death Eaters pressed his wand into Charlie's chest, but it was easy to see, even for Percy, that he was intimidated by the burly dragon keepers.

"Stand down, Weasley, it's over," the shrill voice above him snapped. He slammed his foot down on Percy again and Percy groaned loudly, coughing and spitting up more blood.

Charlie went berserk. "I said _let him go_, you bastard!"

Suddenly, a flash of blue light smashed into the grass, sending up a wave of plants and dirt and sand. There were several screams and the sound of pounding feet and Percy felt some of the pressure on his back alleviate. Seizing the moment and acting on pure instinct, Percy rolled over and grabbed the leg of the Death Eater who had been on top of him, pulling as hard as he could. The man slammed into the ground next to him. Percy hoped it hurt a lot.

Someone grabbed Percy's arms and hauled him roughly to his feet. He swung around, ready to fight back, but recognized Audrey.

"You okay?" came her concerned, earnest question as she jammed his glasses back on his face. "You really need to put some sort of charm on these things."

As the world came into focus around him, Percy saw that the dragon keepers had reclaimed their territory. The Death Eaters had been cursed down, unconscious on the ground. He watched as Audrey gave an angry kick to the Death Eater who had had him pinned to the ground. He let out a pitiful moan.

"I knocked out Lestrange up top," Audrey told him briskly, handing him his wand. "I saw the struggle going on down here and made a distraction. Those guys are great, without wands or anything they took care of the rest." She grinned slightly, glancing back at the dragon keepers—Charlie plus three others—running through the shapes on the ground, stripping wands and other weapons. Percy's cheeks went red and he felt ridiculously foolish. He was supposed to be doing the rescuing and instead he had needed his brother and his brother's friends to bail him out. Percy felt like he was back in school, futilely trying to impress the Ravenclaw girls.

"Perce!" Charlie leapt at him, grabbing his shoulders. Audrey stumbled backward. "Are you all right?"

Percy stammered out what he thought was a yes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie demanded. Percy stupidly opened and closed his mouth, about to respond when Charlie let out a gasp, causing everyone in the pit to jump. "What happened to your _face_?"

The scars. _Damn!_ Percy swore to himself. He had gotten out of the habit of casting hiding spells on them.

"Hey!" Audrey cut in, sparing Percy the need to explain. "Haven't seen you since, what was it, Christmas?"

Charlie's grip on Percy's became suddenly nonexistent. "You! What are you doing here? What are you doing here with my _brother_?"

"It's a long story," Audrey said quickly. "Look, we need to get out of here. More Death Eaters are on the reserve and there're coming, so we need to go."

Another one of the keepers stepped forward. "They came for the dragons," he said seriously. "They _drugged_ them. We need to get them out of here to another reserve so the Death Eaters can't use them."

"Yeah, Terri, that's a good idea." Charlie turned slightly. "We need to get them out of here, and us too."

"Scotland?" suggested a keeper hurriedly.

"Sounds good," Terri replied. Percy watched in slight amazement as the dragon keepers suddenly became a perfect team, splitting and scrambling up the embankment. He heard snatches of their conversation as they tried to determine exactly how to deal with the sedated dragons.

Audrey sped after them. "We need to be fast! There could be more Death Eaters coming!"

Charlie pulled Percy up to the grass. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Rodolphus Lestrange, sprawled across the ground. He was covered in little, disgusting black and purple growths, leaking pus. Percy experienced a new wave of affection for Audrey. Brilliant spell caster. "What do you mean, we?" Charlie questioned wearily. "There's no 'we'."

"I'm helping," Audrey said firmly. It wasn't a question. "Percy too. Where's Titus?"

"What now?" Percy gasped. He had had enough of dragons for a life time.

"Percy, what's going on wi—" Charlie began to ask, but was cut off abruptly as, simultaneously, there was the shrill ring of Audrey's cell phone and the keeper Terri shouted:

"Up there! By the building!"

They all spun around to see another legion of Death Eaters spilling out onto the grounds. Percy whipped out his wand, ready to fight. This time he would be able to fight for himself.

Percy raced out with Charlie and the dragon keepers, throwing out a first wave of spells before diving behind the relative cover of a small grove of trees whose leaves had been stripped by the dragons.

Percy realized just then that Audrey hadn't joined them on the charge. It wasn't like her. Percy turned back to where they had just been, seeing Audrey crouching behind a small rock and talking on her cell phone. Percy started getting angry at her—how could she be using her cell phone at a time like this— and then noticed the look of panic on her face. He had to find out what was wrong.

Percy rose slowly up onto his heels, ready to run.

"Percy…?" It was Charlie, sounding alarmed at his movements. "What are you doing…?"

Percy, seeing his chance, shot off across the ground and threw himself into a less than graceful roll at Audrey, coming up to rest with his back against her rock. Glancing back, Percy saw several smoking spots in the sand that told him he had nearly avoiding being hit.

"Audrey, what's wrong?" he gasped, holding his wand to his chest, and staring at Audrey. Her face was completely bloodless and her hands were shaking as she put the phone away. Her hazel eyes were darting back and forth rapidly, almost as though she were trying to figure something out, solve a difficult puzzle. After a few seconds of excruciatingly painful silence, Audrey whipped around to face him.

"You need to go back," she forced out, voice trembling ever so slightly.

"What?"

"You need to go back to the station now," she said, eyes wide and searching his face desperately.

They both cringed as a huge explosion shook the earth and blew a huge crater in the ground between them and the Death Eaters. "Why?" Percy gasped.

"I got a distress signal from Carl right now!" Audrey wailed. "He needs help. You need to go!"

Percy could hardly keep his jaw from dropping. "No! Not by myself! Come with me."

"I can't! Your brother and these guys can't take on all these Death Eaters, and we can't let those bastards get the dragons! You go back to the station and help there and I'll take care of things here!"

She looked as though she had thought through every possible scenario and this was the only one that could ever work. Percy knew Audrey would be better for fighting out here, in the open, and if the station really was under attack then someone needed to go help. Percy felt panic swelling in his chest. Why did everything have to go wrong at once? He didn't want to leave Audrey, not where she could get hurt.

"I'll be fine!" Audrey burst out, as if she could read his mind. "I'll make sure Charlie is okay. But you need to go help them—Lynn and Simon and Magnolia!"

Percy's head was spinning. He didn't want to leave; he knew he had to leave…

Another giant blast made the ground rock like a full-scale earthquake was going on. Audrey's and Percy's cell phones began blaring their alarm tones.

"Okay," said Percy, his voice coming out unusually rough. "I'll go, but you promise me that you'll come back safe, okay? Promise me!"

Audrey showed a shaky grin. She lifted herself upwards and their lips crushed together in an awkward, passionate kiss. "I promise. And I'll bring Charlie with me, too." They kissed again, but the moment was short lived as spells and curses began to explode like firecrackers above their heads.

"Go!" howled Audrey.

Percy spun in place, still on the ground and disapparated on the spot.

_Yes, I know, another cliff-hanger. I'm sorry! We're in the homestretch here, the story's almost over. Just hang in there. _


	26. Past and Present

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me._

_Rated T for language_

Chapter 26

_Crack!_

Percy exploded into the trees, stumbling forward and wheeling his arms around as the branches and undergrowth caught his clothes and scratched at his face. Several steps later he collapsed into a clearing, tripping over his own feet and planting his face in the dirt. Again. Audrey really had a good point about putting a charm on his glasses to avoid having to fix them every five minutes.

Audrey. Suddenly her face, panic-stricken and bleeding from a cut on her forehead, appeared crystal clear in his mind. He remembered why he was here. Pulling his wand out, Percy struggled to his feet. He pushed through the foliage, trying to recall the way to the station. Catching sight of a familiar, gnarled tree, Percy reared left. Through the leaves, he could just barely make out the shape of the building. With a slight chill, Percy realized the collection of the wards they had put up to protect the station were down. Fear and frustration were rising in his chest. _How do the Death Eaters keep finding us?_

A wail broke the cold silence in the forest. Percy froze. The long, single cry dissolved into a chain of little sobs and sniffles. Percy recognized that sound from his early childhood, the desperate bawling of a frightened infant, but in this setting it made him want to be sick. As the cries went on, Percy slowly crept towards them.

"Simon?" he whispered. "Is that you?" In response, the sounds stopped. Percy cursed himself. He'd gone and scared the baby.

Percy raised his wand, waving it around the clearing in a measured, deliberate motion, brow furrowed with concentration and muttering an incantation under his breath. The unusually dark woods were suddenly lit up with little spots of bright pink light. Two blots of color in the shape of birds flew out of his range, and what looked like a mouse scurried away. In addition to that, the ground was literally writhing with tiny dots of insect life forms. Percy shivered. At least he knew the charm was working…

Percy saw a large, dark pink figure under some ferns. He immediately threw himself onto the ground, carefully peeling back the greenery to see the fussing baby underneath. _For a second, Percy could have sworn that it was little baby Ron, with a tuft of bright red hair and blue eyes filled with tears. For an instant, he was in that little patch of trees behind the dilapidated safe house, stumbling out on chubby, five-year-old legs, confused and praying Mummy would be coming soon so that he wouldn't have to carry Ron—who was really too big—to the safe place that his parents had shown him. Wishing that Bill wasn't at school and Charlie wasn't with the twins so he wouldn't have to be the big brother here._ Percy felt his stomach drop as he lifted Simon into his arms, trying to force the memories down, trying to concentrate on the ground. What the hell was going on? Who left the baby alone in woods?

"Shhh," he murmured, tightened the bundle of blankets around Simon, shifting him into the crook of his left arm so he could still hold his wand up. "It's okay, little guy," Percy muttered as he moved towards the building. "It's going to be okay," he continued, keeping up a constant stream of soothing conversation. Even if he believed absolutely nothing of what he was saying. "Let's go find your mummy, that sound good?" _Please Merlin, let me find this baby's mother. Alive and well. And Lynn, too. _A lump was rising in Percy's throat. The more he thought about this situation, the worse it seemed.

He finally reached the front door, seeing it was off its hinges. Percy could barely hold back a scream. What had happened here? To make them abandon poor Simon?

_And here I am, taking him into a building possibly filled with Death Eaters…_

Percy wondered whether or not to take Simon in, but he really didn't want to leave the baby alone out in the woods. What if some animal came along? What if he got sick? Eventually, Percy made the decision to tuck Simon inside his cloak and pushed forward, into the station.

It was completely empty, for all he could see, and dark. The windows had all been covered with fabric, denying any natural light. The lamps and candles that he knew were set up all around the edges of every room weren't lit. Quickly casting a _lumos _charm, Percy took in the state of the main room.

Most of the lamps were lying broken on the floor. The tables were all toppled over, and the one worn couch they had had its cushions torn open, the white fluffy filling spilling out. The wooden floor was gashed deeply in many places, the rugs in shreds. Light from Percy's wand gleamed ominously off a discarded, broken chess piece. He winced as he stepped on a still intact lamp, causing a sharp crack of breaking glass.

Percy turned his wand back to some of the candles, quickly setting the wicks of several candles aflame and bewitching them to levitate behind him, trying to provide a little more light, make this place less creepy.

With this light, he could see there were cuts in the wall as well, not very wide, but deep. Percy recognized that patterning: someone had been looking for secret compartments in the walls. Places where terrified fugitives could be hiding. He shivered, recalling the last time he had seen markings like this. Where had they been living then? In that small white house, the one which had been in a row with nine or ten other safe houses. How many years ago had that been, Percy mused to himself as he picked his way across the devastated room. Fifteen? Sixteen?

_There had been a celebration going on. The Bad Man, as Percy had known You-Know-Who back then, had been defeated. All the adults were laughing, happy… his mum was crying, but even then Percy could tell happy tears from sad tears, and those had been happy… _

_Percy had wandered outside. He knew he shouldn't have, it was against the rules, but if the Bad Man was gone, then it was okay, right? It was safe, right? And it had been a really long time since he'd been outside at night. The moon was almost full, and the stars had been shining brightly, as if they knew themselves that something wonderful had happened that night. He had been walking through the yards of the other houses, taking in the outdoor scenery he hadn't seen in months, when there was a loud crack! above his head and a shower of colored sparks. Terrified, he had fled through the open door of the safe house on the end of the row. _

Simon whimpered from within Percy's cloak, jerking him from his thoughts, from his memories. He was almost grateful for this; it had been a long time since he had tried to recall that night, or anything back that long ago, and what was coming up was far from comforting. As Percy reached a hand in to comfort him, his fingers brushed his cell phone.

The cell phone! Percy pulled it out, careful not to disturb Simon, deciding to call Lynn. If she was here, or had been here, she would know what happened.

But Percy knew that Lynn would never, ever, EVER leave Simon. Not with the kind of protective, caring nature she had. Percy knew that his best friend Lynn would rather die…

Simon chose that moment to burst into tears, so Percy pulled him up into one arm, hushing him quietly while his free hand hit Lynn's number on the speed dial.

A shrill ringing reverberated throughout the abandoned rooms, making Percy jump. Simon shrieked even louder in protest, so Percy pulled an overturned armchair upright and settled him on it before seeking out the origin of the noise.

He walked as lightly as possible through the dark hallway, trying not to make a sound. The candles were still trailing him, bobbing along in the air.

Percy tracked the ringing to a wall in the hallway under the staircase. He swept the light from his wand over floor and surrounding areas, but didn't see the phone. Percy sighed, realizing there was only one conclusion to draw: Lynn's cell phone was somewhere in the wall. It made sense; to this day, Percy knew that there was a similar hiding space in the Burrow, only accessible when you turned a tiny, hidden doorknob at the base.

Percy ran his fingers along the base of the wall here, hoping for a lucky break. But there was no opening mechanism to be found. Percy sighed again, wondering if Lynn and the others were inside that wall now, waiting, terrified. He hoped so, at least that meant they were safe, but that didn't explain why Simon had been left by himself.

Percy pointed his wand at the wall. "_Spellius Revealio,_" he muttered. Dark blue light began to play across the wall, pooling at a point about two and a half meters up. Percy reached up and pressed it with two fingers.

He jumped back as the wall popped out and slid open. He staggered inside immediately, looking around.

It was empty. Percy let out a hiss of frustration. He dropped on his hands and knees, grabbed the ringing phone off the ground and terminated the call. He dropped his head into his hands, fighting back tears. _Pull yourself together, _he told himself angrily. _Pull yourself together and figure out what happened here! _

Percy removed his hands away from his face and, by the flickering light of the candles, began to search the small hideaway. He had been looking only for a few seconds when his hand slid over something wet. Warm and wet. Percy's hand jerked upwards and he saw crimson liquid on his fingers. Struggling to stay calm, he snatched one of the candles out of midair and lowered it to rest on the wooden floor.

A little trail of blood droplets was thrown into full illumination. It started by his hand and lead into the darkness at the back of the secret room. Percy swallowed hard, dabbling almost unconsciously in the nearest pool of blood, remembering the last time he had seen something like this. Percy shuddered slightly. It seemed like his past just wouldn't leave him in peace today.

_It had been a firework, set off by a joyous wizard, that had scared him that night sixteen years ago. Percy knew that now. But at the time it had seemed like one of the curses by the Bad Men that Percy had been told on no uncertain circumstances to avoid. So he had dived into that safe house, and staggered around, kicking up clouds of dust. Those gashes spanned across the walls and floors and even the low, white ceiling. And he had walked straight into a trail of dried blood droplets. It had made him cry with fear at the time, but he had followed it to the end out of pure, morbid curiosity._ And considering what he had found then, sixteen years ago, he almost didn't want to follow this now.

Percy crawled along the filthy floor, trying not to shudder every time his hand accidentally brushed the gruesome path he was tracing. Finally, he hit a back wall, and was unable to go any further.

"What the…?" It was clear to Percy that the blood kept going, beyond the wall. After a moment or two of searching, he discovered a panel on this wall that could be removed. He pried it off and set it aside. A square tunnel was revealed this time, just barely big enough for someone to crawl through, was revealed. It stretched on into infinite darkness.

Percy was about to crawl down it when he heard Simon, all the way from the other room, crying and wailing. Percy pulled out of the back room, walked over and picked him up. He couldn't leave him here. Merlin, he wished that Audrey or Lynn or _someone _was here. He really hated having to do this by himself. Having to solve this terrifying mystery on his own.

Tucking Simon safely away once again, Percy got down on his hands and knees and began to crawl forward.


	27. The End of the Trail

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Sorry for the wait. I'm really hoping to get this story done before I go on vacation with my family, so fingers crossed I manage to finish before the end of the month or its going to be forever before I finish it. _

Chapter 27 

Percy felt like he had been creeping on his hands and knees down this dark, suffocating tunnel for hours. He hadn't even considered his claustrophobia before starting through the passageway—now his skin was crawling, sweat was rolling down his unusually pale face. The only thing keeping him going was the hope that he would find out what had happened to the station.

He stopped abruptly as the droplets of blood, which had been spread out evenly on the earthy ground of the tunnel, suddenly stopped. Percy ran his fingers over the dirt-covered surface to be sure, but there was certainly no more blood. He could tell that, even by the pale green light of his wand.

"What do you think this means, Simon?" Percy murmured, more to himself than to the sleeping infant. "If whatever injury this was bleeding out of was clotting, then the trail would have lessened gradually, wouldn't you say?"

Simon gave a sudden jerk in his cloak and Percy bit back a curse word as his wand tumbled from his hand, hitting the ground and extinguishing. Everything was plunged into deep, mind-numbing darkness.

Then Percy saw something he had missed in the artificial light produced by his wand. A band of warm yellow sunlight, illuminating a small stretch of the ground. Confused, Percy looked up. He could make out an apparent hole in the ceiling above him. By the direction and time he had been traveling, Percy estimated that he was somewhere underneath the woods… maybe this was a way out, back up into the real world. Perhaps this is where the refugees had made their escape. That would explain the lack of blood.

Making sure Simon was still secure inside his cloak, Percy pulled himself up onto his heels and reached his arms up, pushing on the ceiling. In seconds, a large section of the earth popped upwards, like a replaceable panel. He quickly clamored out of the tunnel and back into the woods. Percy breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't like it under ground.

He rose to his feet, brushing dirt off of his robes and glancing around. So everyone in the station had escaped out through the emergency tunnel, someone had had an open wound, and perhaps no one could heal it…

_Well, you've traced them thus far, where would they go next? _Percy thought back to his years in school, trying to remember any tracking spells they might have learned. _What class would that be taught in? Defense Against the Dark Arts? Charms? Nothing comes to mind. _

Percy just decided to walk in the opposite direction of the faint outline of the station. Creeping through the woods, Percy felt the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like a storm was about to break and only he could see it coming. After walking for maybe five or so minutes, picking his way as quietly as possible through the trees, Percy froze. He would have swore that he had heard a twig snap, somewhere off in the distance.

Percy swung around and whipped his wand out as he heard something else, rustling in the undergrowth. He saw a flash of something brown or gray. He nearly cried out as it shot past him, just brushing his leg.

"It's just an animal," Percy whispered to himself, trying not to panic. "Just an animal, nothing more frightening than that." He flinched violently as there was another noise, but this time it was actually a sound made by Percy himself, by thorned branch catching on his trousers. Pulling himself free, Percy continuing stumbling over the uneven carpet of fallen leaves, sticks and mud. "You're just on edge because of what happened when you were a kid…"

Repeating this mantra over and over again (not really believing it), Percy picked his way through the trees, feeling his heart pound painfully against his chest.

Suddenly Percy's foot caught something on the ground and he nearly fell forward, a move that would certainly crush Simon. He pulled back sharply, gripping at a tree branch for balance, and quickly settled the baby in a patch of grass. Brushing some of the trees' low-hanging branches out of the way, Percy looked for what he had tripped over. After a seconds viewing, Percy felt the air in his lungs freeze and a cold shock run up his spine.

Wide, terrified eyes stared back at him from the ground, glazed over with a pale white sheen. Percy felt his body shaking as he slowly lowered himself to his knees. It was practically a minute before his brain registered exactly what he was looking at.

Carl.

Carl was lying, stretched out on his back on the ground, absolutely still. All the branches and shrubbery around him was broken and bent, as if trampled. Carl's body was unnaturally still. In fact, he wasn't moving at all. His chest wasn't rising and falling. Percy didn't even have to press two of his fingers into the ice-cold flesh of Carl's stiff neck to know that the man was dead.

Rolling waves of disgust made Percy want to be sick. He'd never been close or even friends with Carl, but seeing him dead… it still sent a primordial fear and angry coursing through his body. Percy dropped his head onto his knees for a few minutes, collecting himself. And then he started to inspect the body, trying to keep the bile in his throat down.

Carl's right hand was covered with burns and blood, some of the fingers blown away at the knuckles, showing the bone. Whoever killed him must have blown his wand out of his hand. Percy winced, imagining how painful that must have been. Trying hard not to think about, Percy continued his search for damage. But besides the hand, there was none. Carl had to have been killed with the Avada Kedavra curse. The idea sent shivers down Percy's spine. So the Death Eaters had done this. That explained the look of terror frozen for eternity on Carl's face. Hand trembling, Percy reached out and closed Carl's eyes. It was the least he could do for the brave wizard who had gone down fighting.

Then Percy noticed something clutched in Carl's left hand. He reached down, trying to unclench the stiff fingers, set in rigor mortis, and pulled the object out, holding it up to his artificial light.

A baby's bottle. Something clicked in his mind, a mystery made sense.

So Carl had been carrying Simon out as the refugees fled the station. But something had happened as he had ended up dead. But Percy found Simon alone on the ground… Then Percy realized he was just paces away from where he had found the baby, but somehow he hadn't found Carl earlier. Of course. The charm he had had cast only located living things.

Slowly, Percy rose to his feet, taking the bottle with him, and lifted Simon up as well. Carefully, remembering how he had fed Ron and Ginny, Percy offered the bottle to Simon. The baby drank ravenously. Percy wondered how long he had been lying in the forest after Carl had died. Had the baby had been dropped, or if Carl had put him down at the first sign of trouble. The baby didn't seem harmed…

A scream split the air, broken and shrill. Percy gasped and crouched down immediately as he saw movement in the trees off to his left, from where the scream came from. Three large figures burst from the screen of foliage, dragging the slight frame of a young woman out with them. She jerked her arm away from the biggest to stand a meter away, but no farther. It was obvious she had no weapon and nowhere to run. She was glowering at them with more hatred than Percy had ever seen in clear green eyes.

Lynn.

Percy's heart practically stopped when he saw her there, in the shadows of the three hulking men, and their wands trained on her as she glared at them. One reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him, so close she could probably feel his breath on her face. It made Percy's blood boil just watching it.

"Why don't you make this easier on us, _mudblood_," the man spat. "And just tell us where all your disgusting little friends went?" Lynn said nothing. "Or maybe you want to tell us why you decided to come crawling back here, mudblood? You know we don't like your kind breathing our air."

"You ever have an original thought, troglodyte?" Lynn shot back with just as much contempt, trying to free herself from his grip. "Or do you just parrot whatever the hell your precious master says?"

The Death Eater drew back his fist and slammed it into Lynn's stomach, causing her to double over in pain. Suddenly, blind rage took over Percy's brain. No one did that to Lynn, to his best friend. He placed Simon on the ground and was about to leapt up and attack when the baby cried out. All four heads standing on the other side of the clearing turned abruptly towards him.

"What the bloody hell was that?" The Death Eater released Lynn's arms, shoving her at his two companions. He took a step towards Percy, his dark eyes flitting back and forth, searching for the source of the noise. Percy wondered if the man would see him before he decided to make his move. The Death Eater had frozen in his tracks, but he slowly began to take other step, bringing him dangerously close…

Percy leapt to his feet, giving the Death Eater only time to look surprised before he dug his wand into the man's shoulder, hissing a powerful stinging curse under his breath. The man crumpled to the ground shrieking in agony. Percy jumped over the writing body, ducking out of the way of one of the Death Eater's bright green curse. He slashed his wand and that man collapsed under the weight of a stunner. Just before the final man attacked, Lynn grabbed his arm with an angry growl and jerked his wand upwards, so his curse flew uselessly into the trees. It sliced through a thick tree branch, with crashed nosily to the ground between them. The distraction was just enough for Percy to throw a curse and suddenly the only ones left standing were Percy and Lynn.

"Percy! Thank God you came!" She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest for a few moments before pulling back. "Where's Audrey?"

Percy heaved a sigh of relief, glad she was okay. "Audrey's fighting off a wave of Death Eater's attacking my brother's dragon reserve," he told her bluntly.

"Something's going to happen soon, Percy. Something big, I can feel it." Lynn's eyes were wide as she searched his face.

"Something already happened," Percy replied, beginning to pace the clearing, making sure all the Death Eaters were out of commission. After applying a proper stunner to the one rolling around on the ground, tortured by a deep stinging throughout his entire body, every was still and safe. Percy was secretly extremely pleased for himself for finally managing to take down Death

Eaters without ending up sprawled on his back. "The station was abandoned! Death Eaters are all over the woods; what happened?"

"Look," Lynn said desperately, snatching the wand out of one of the fallen men's hands and starting to push her way through the foliage. "I can't explain until I find Simon. Magnolia's hysterical. Carl was supposed to bring him out but he never showed so I came back. But I ran into those Death Eaters before I could find him—"

"Carl's dead," Percy said quietly, and a flicker of pain passed over Lynn's face."Those Death Eaters must have killed him. But I found Simon." He hurried back over and picked up Simon and his bottle. "He was alone in the woods."

"Oh! Thank God," Lynn rushed over and took the baby into her arms. She smiled up at him. "You're just saving the day ever which way, aren't you Percy?" She shifted Simon in her arms and suddenly winced in pain. Then Percy noticed dark crimson bloodstains on Lynn's sleeve.

"Lynn! What happened?" He brushed his fingers over her sleeve, and they came away red.

Lynn squeezed her eyes shut, nervously rocking the fussing Simon. "Someone used You-Know-Who's name," she whispered. "Didn't know about the Taboo, I guess, or just forgot. The Death Eaters showed up on our doorsteps. We all flocked for the secret room and tunnel and Carl took  
Simon because we thought he'd be safer that way. Then Carl and I sent out distress signals, but I dropped my phone. I cut my arm on some old nail while we were escaping out of the tunnel. I was bleeding really badly."

"That's the blood trail I found," Percy murmured, more thinking to himself than talking to her.

"I guess so…" Lynn said. "So we all got out and to another safe house, but Carl never showed up and so I had to come back."

"Of course you did," Percy said, laughing hollowly with it. "I knew you'd never leave Simon out here. I was really worried when I found him"

Percy could see gratitude in Lynn's eyes as she bounced the baby in her arms. "Can you show me Carl?" she asked softly.

Wordlessly, Percy led her to where he had left the body. As she stared sadly at him, Percy raised his wand and began to dig a grave for him in the dirt. The man deserved a better burial, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. He had created a good, deep, rectangular hole when Lynn spoke.

"I've never seen a dead body out of the hospital before," she muttered. She turned to him. "Have you?"

It was an innocent enough question, but it made Percy cringe internally. There were few things he hadn't told to his best friend, but this was one of those things. "Just one, when I was a kid. Right after You-Know-You died."

Lynn's mouth opened in shock. "Oh my God, Percy." She choked out after a few seconds.

Percy frowned and sat down next to the grave he dug, running his hands through the freshly overturned dirt. "Everyone was celebrating, and I somehow ended up in a house in my parent's neighborhood. It was almost…disturbing how much that was like this." Lynn's brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, I followed a blood trail through a building that had been raided by Death Eaters," the words were gushing from his mouth now; Percy couldn't stop them if he tried. "I was just, I don't know, five or six years old. I got the fun of finding the mutilated dead body of a man my dad worked with at the Ministry while the rest of the wizarding world was setting off fireworks and getting drunk."

Lynn was staring at him, horrorstruck. "I'm so sorry," she finally whispered.

Percy sighed and levitated Carl's body into in the pit, filling it with loose dirt. He grabbed the biggest stone he could find. With several strokes of his wand, Percy had marked it with Carl's name, Lynn watching his every move with wide eyes.

"Everybody's always sorry," he muttered. "And it never does anything." Percy heaved the stone onto the fresh dirt, right over Carl's head. "For anyone."


	28. Fights

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Okay, I know it's been FOREVER since my last update, and that it this is kind of short, but since school started up again I've been incredibly busy. I probably wouldn't have even found the time to carve this out, but someone left a review saying they hoped that I hadn't abandoned this story, and I just wanted to tell anyone still reading this that I would NEVER abandon a story. _

_Oh, and see if you can catch the Star Trek reference. Nerdy, I know, but I honestly couldn't think of any other word to use… _

Chapter 28

As Percy stepped away from Carl's completed grave, he could practically feel Lynn's green eyes on him, wide and full of pain. Pain for whom, he didn't know at this point. He himself stared down at the rectangle of freshly overturned dirt, feeling just so incredibly _worthless._ He hadn't been able to stop Carl—a good man—from dying. And know he was leaving him—a hero who deserved an Order of Merlin, First Class alone to decompose in the dirt. _Hell,_ Percy thought bitterly, _I don't even know if he has family, for Merlin's sake? Shouldn't his body go to them…_ But there was no way Percy could possibly get Carl back to his family. They were probably in hiding, even if he had any living family. For a flash of a second, Percy say Ayden's face in his mind's eye and he groaned slightly, swaying on his feet.

And then a soft, shaky sob broke the tense silence and Percy opened his eyes and straightened his glasses. _You can't think about things like that_, Percy told himself harshly, shoving the memories out of his head, _not when there is work to be done_. It was a mantra he had repeated a lot in the last few years. But now the work to be done concerned fussing baby in Lynn's arms.

"We need to get him back to his mother," Percy intoned dully, worrying his wand in his right hand. Lynn looked up, gaze settling not on him, but on Carl's makeshift headstone, her eyes still wide and pained. "Where did the refugees go?" She didn't respond. "Lynn?" he prompted, louder this time.

"Right," she gasped, shaking her head. "Right. I'm sorry." Lynn sucked in a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "They, they went to lots of different places. Ten or twelve, I think."

Percy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You placed that many Portkeys in the area?" he asked. It seemed like a lot of work, and dangerous, too. Any one of them could be found by a passing muggle… or a wizard.

Lynn shook her head, and, glancing around as if to get her bearings, took off through the trees. Percy followed. "Not exactly," she responded slowly, pushing branches out of the way, Percy catching them as they snapped back at him. "All the Portkeys were part of one animal trap; each individual piece was a password-activated Portkey that went to a different location."

"Brilliant," Percy muttered under his breath. It was an ingenious idea; Percy bet that Audrey had been the one who championed it. He felt an uncomfortable, wrenching twinge in his stomach at the thought of Audrey fighting at the dragon reserve.

"Here!" Lynn suddenly stopped, whipping around to hand Simon off to Percy. She got down on her hands and knees and began to dig around in the loose dirt. Looking around, Percy could see that the undergrowth in this area had been badly trampled; the branches on nearby trees broken. Percy had no doubt that a lot of people had passed through here.

"What are you looking for?" Percy asked his friend, watching here pass her fingers through the dirt and leaf litter.

"There was an emergency Portkey underground that we left I could get away after I went back for Simon and…Carl." She gulped.

"But will it take you to where Magnolia went?" Percy inquired nervously. Simon needed to go back to his mother.

"Yeah. I made sure that she and I would go to the same place when I took the emergency," Lynn explained. Suddenly, her face lit up and she stopped digging. "Got it!"

Percy leaned in curiously to watch as she pulled a small, metal peg out of the ground. At first glance it was just a little piece of junk, but Percy knew that it held far more powers than it seemed to. He reached out a hand and touched it carefully, waiting for Lynn to give the password.

Lynn raised her head and their gazes locked. "Ready?"

He nodded, tightening his grip on the baby in his arms. "Ready. What's the password?"

Lynn took a deep, cleansing breath, hooking her fingers securely around the Portkey. "Energize."

Audrey crept slowly around the side of the structure, wand held at the ready with one hand and the other trailing across the buildings wooden wall. She moved silently, on the balls of her feet, not even daring to breathe for fear that she would be heard…

"Got you now, you blood-traitor bitch," a voice growled out behind her. Audrey stiffened immediately, feeling a wand-tip being dug between her shoulders blades. She felt a wave of icy fear run down her spine. "Now drop the wand like a good little girl."

Shaking with rage, Audrey held out her arm and dropped her wand, watching it out of the corner of her eye as it hit the sand noiselessly. The Death Eater's head entered her field of vision as the man slowly leaned down, reaching for the discarded piece of wood.

_Crunch. _There was a satisfying sound of bones breaking as Audrey swung her steel-tipped boot around and it connected with the man's ribs. She snatched her wand from the ground and sprinted away, sand spraying into the air. Still moving, Audrey pointed her wand back and stunned the moaning Death Eater where he lay curled in pain.

As Audrey burst out from behind the reserve building, she squinted in the bright sunlight. The figures of Death Eaters were easy to make out, black and hooded showering curses onto the dodging forms of the much fewer dragon keepers. Audrey felt panic well up in her chest, coming on strong no matter how hard she tried to fight it down. What if there we too many? What if they couldn't stop Voldemort's forces from taking the dragons?

What if she never saw Percy again?

"What are you waiting for Audrey?" bellowed a voice to her right. Audrey whipped around to see the bulky, red-headed mass of Charlie Weasley barrel past her as he and another keeper chased down a pair of fleeing Death Eaters. Before Audrey could respond, the air was consumed by ear-splitting roar. Her head shot up.

The frames of a half dozen hulking, very angry dragons rearing out of their pits obscured her view of the horizon, and Audrey felt a wry smile curl itself onto her face. The dragons were waking up.

It was time for the Death Eaters to see what they had gotten themselves into.

_Keep a look out for the next chapter, "Triage". _


	29. Triage

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: Yet another far-too-late chapter. But with Thanksgiving break, I finally got a little time to devote to writing. _

Chapter 29

Triage was Lynn's least favorite part of being a Healer.

That was a recent discovery. When she had first started working at St. Mungo's, she would have said the worst part was losing a patient. And yes, that was bad. Really, really bad. There were always choked explanations and apologies to family members, tears on time of death reports, a sick feeling in her stomach that refused to go away. But somehow, it just wasn't _as_ bad. If one of Lynn's patients died, you damn well knew she had spent every possible fucking second at their side, doing everything she could to try to save them. But with triage it was different. With triage, she couldn't devote herself entirely to saving someone. With triage, Lynn had to choose. She had to choose who she helped immediately, and who had to stand by bleeding. She had to choose who got the best potions, and who had to get by on the quickly cast spells. Who lived, and who died.

Triage meant playing God, and everything Lynn had seen and experienced in her life had left her believing that if God even existed, he had to be some kind of heartless bastard.

And so when she and Percy twisted into existence in the safe house and the deadly calm of the forest burst into shouts, screams, sounds of chaos and some fellow Healer was calling out to her to help, Lynn leapt to her feet with a feeling of doom threatening to overcome her.

The sound of Percy's voice was strangely distant, even though he was shouting right next to her. "What happened? What's going on?"

Lynn didn't bother to concentrate on the answer to his question; she was already striding purposefully over to where the injured were lying on stretchers. Lynn tried to shut out her compassion as she cast an objective medical eye over those wounded, helpless people gasping and moaning in pain. She focused on the first one she caught sight of.

_Male, mid-twenties, minor burns, broken arm, superficial cuts. Diagnosis: Not critical. Someone else can handle this. _

Making a note to come back and check on him after the situation was stabilized, she moved on to the next poor soul, who was gasping and thrashing in agony.

_Female, late thirties to early forties. Serious lesions, collapsed lung… major curse damage. Diagnosis: Not going to make it. _

Lynn turned away, on to the next patient.

As they appeared in the safe house, Percy could immediately see that something was seriously wrong. This place lacked the usual strained fear and instead was full of audible panic. He and Lynn leapt up. Percy glanced to his side and saw on his friends face a stoic, emotionless mask.

"What happened? What's going on?" he demanded of no one in particular as Lynn pushed past him. His gaze lingered on the rows and rows of victims.

A disheveled, wide-eyed man who was rushing past turned to him and answered. "There have been raids everywhere, all across the country," he choked out, words tumbling over one another. "They're sending people anywhere there's room and a chance of being helped." The man suddenly frowned, putting a hand to Percy's chin and turning his face sharply. "Are you hurt?"

Percy was flabbergasted for a second before he remembered. The scars. At first sight, the old dragon fire burns almost looked fresh. "No," he said quickly. "It's fine." Still frowning, the man left him and pushed away through the rows of stretches.

As he went, Percy felt a numbness spreading through his chest. He couldn't handle this. He couldn't. He was supposed to be a goddamned _office worker_, not a Healer. He wasn't supposed to have to deal with blood and hurt and pain and death—

"PERCY!" The desperate cry pulled Percy back into reality. Suddenly pale hands were grabbing at his filthy robes and big eyes were boring into him.

"Magnolia!" he sputtered out, recognizing her at once. Thank Merlin. He'd finally found her. "I have—"

"Simon! Thank God!" Magnolia gasped, voice full of relief and joy. She took the baby out of Percy's arms, cuddling him to her chest, face split by a giant grin as Simon gurgled happily.

Before Percy could get out another word, she had exclaimed a quick goodbye, pushed away through the crowds and was gone. He blinked stupidly after where the young mother had disappeared, hoping she knew where she was going, for Simon's sake.

"Oi! Hey, you!" A hand grabbed the back of Percy's robes and he spun around. Another man, harassed, slightly irritated-looking stood before him. "Are you just going to stand there or can you help?"

"Uh, I—I," Percy stammered out. _I'm not a Healer!_ Sure, he could heal minor cuts and spell damage, reverse some hexes and jinxes, all the little tricks he had picked up from Lynn and Madame Pomfrey and his Mum, but…

"Yes or no?" the man bit out curtly, practically yelling to be heard clearly over the surrounding bedlam.

"Yes," Percy replied, praying that he didn't sound as sick to his stomach as he felt.

"Good. Get on with it." The man spun around on his heel and was engulfed by the panicked mass of people. Trying to shake off his apprehension and downright fear, Percy quickly hurried over to one of the injured masses on the floor. He pulled out his wand, trying to pretend his hand wasn't shaking.

It was slow, tortuous work, going through the refugees. A lot of them were too badly hurt for him to even try to help, too damaged for his inept hands to put back together. He'd never been good at fixing things. But what were worse than the horrendous physical wounds were the people who, when he tried to help them, clutched at him and begged to know how a family member or friend was doing. When that happened, all Percy could do was awkwardly extract himself, stammering out an apology, and stumble away. It cut him up inside, because when he looked into their feverish, desperate eyes all he could think of was his own family…and Audrey.

Audrey. Facing down Death Eaters in Romania without him…shouldn't he be _there?_

Percy was about to jump up and apparate to her when a pained groan distracted him. He turned immediately to face the source of the noise, dropping to his knees next to the huddled figure. A curtain of terribly knotted, dirty hair that he supposed had been curly at one point covered her face—and it _was _a her, as Percy could tell. A young woman. He crouched down next to her, and, once he was sure she was aware of his presence, gingerly pulled away the shroud of hair to reveal her pale face.

"_Penny?_"

The young woman's blue eyes fluttered opened, and they were bright and intelligent, despite her dilapidated appearance. That's when Percy knew he wasn't mistaken about who he was looking at.

"_Pen…_" he whispered. All of the composed routine he had built up treating patients dissolved, and Percy found himself pathetically wiping at the still-wet blood on her clothes, completely frantic and unsure of what to do.

Penelope's pale lips quirked, turning up into a tired smile. "Perce… it's really you." Her delicate hand moved up to brush his uncharacteristically stubbled face. Her slender fingers passed over the crusty bumps of his scars, making him flinch. Penny, of course, noticed. She had always been so attentive and sensitive; nothing could get past her observant eyes. "What…?"

"It's nothing," he said in a strained murmur, automatically casting the shielding charms over his face before moving his wand to tend to her wounds. They weren't too bad, compared to some he'd seen, but every drop of _her_ blood was too much, every crimson stain a terrible travesty…

It was funny, he thought, how the dark red of her muggle-born blood was exactly the same as that of his pure wizard blood.

Percy was pulling huge, painful looking splinters out of her flesh, ghosting a healing charm over angry red welts that would otherwise form colorful bruises. "Penny, what happened?" he muttered, more to himself than to her. "How could this happen…?"

"Some of us muggle-borns were hiding out underneath an old store…" she groaned again, stretching her body, testing the limbs Percy had freshly healed. He watched her nervously, an unfamiliar protective feeling rising up in his chest. "Some Death Eaters came in and cursed through the floor."

Of course. A wooden floor would explain all the little shards of wood… "I'm so sorry, Penny."

But she gently pushed his hands away as he tried to check her for any other injuries. "It's okay… I'm fine, really…" Penelope sat up, bracing herself against the wall. She gave him a sad smile. "I was one of the lucky ones, you see, to get out."

Percy tried to smile back at her, to be reassuring, but the only expression he could manage was one of horror.

"I wondered if I would ever see you again, you know," she mused after a few moments of silence.

Percy looked into her eyes, wondering himself. When had he last seen her, his first girlfriend? It must have been years ago, probably a chance encounter in the halls of the Ministry, before they had begun putting muggle-borns like Penny on trial.

He remembered their break-up. It had been mutual, of course, it had been logical. He was leaving Hogwarts to start his new job at the Ministry, and she was starting her final year. It made sense to stop seeing each other. They had agreed that they both would be far too busy to be keeping up a long distance relationship.

Percy was beginning to lose track of all the times he looked back on past decisions and thought about what a daft bugger he had been. But if he had stayed with her, would he have ever met Audrey? He had loved Penny in his hormonal teenage years, but somehow, Audrey was just so much more…

"Oh, Penny."

"I'm fine, Percy, really, I…" Penelope broke off suddenly, staring with a frown at something over his shoulder. "Is that your owl?"

"What?" Percy whipped around, shocked, following her soft blue gaze. Sure enough, he saw a familiar streak of brown feathers coming towards them. "Hermes?"

Percy never thought he would see the owl again. When he had gone into hiding, he'd just assumed Hermes had been killed in the inevitable raid of his flat. It had hurt, thinking that one of his oldest friends (even if it was an animal, after all he still hadn't forgiven Ron for letting his old rat die) had been killed, but he hadn't thought about Hermes in a while.

The owl flapped over, settling on his now outstretched arm, glaring at him reproachfully with bright yellow eyes as if to say 'How _could _you leave me there?' Unconsciously, Percy checked him for a letter, but there was nothing.

_Obviously, you should have known, who would possibly be sending you a letter right n— _

Percy's thoughts were cut off as another, larger owl glided into the room through some unseen window, drawing startled cries from at least a dozen wizards and witches. This dark gray owl flew over towards him as well and it _did _have a letter.

Percy was reaching out to remove said letter when he realized that this ruffled owl smelled strongly of—_goats?_


	30. Time to Fight

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: A lot of the dialogue in this chapter is copied from Deathly Hallows._

Chapter 30

Percy's nose wrinkled at the offensive, strong scent of goats. He had only encountered one place that ever smelled like this…

Why was Aberforth Dumbledore owling him? Pulling the yellowed envelopment off of the owl's leg and watching the Great Gray flap lopsidedly away, Percy debated opening the letter now or later. He glanced around anxiously, aware of all the pain he should be helping to deal with. He didn't want to be distracted from helping, not if innocent people like Penny were in this crowd, suffering.

But then Percy recalled the promise he had wrangled out of the grumpy old man. To contact him if anything ever happened at Hogwarts. His blood ran cold, remembering.

And Percy was pretty sure that Aberforth wasn't the kind of man to send social messages, so if he was going to the trouble of sending an owl than something must really be wrong. And if something was wrong at Hogwarts then he could be damn sure that everyone of his family would be there, wands at the ready, trying to make it right. And he couldn't let them do it without him.

Hands shaking wildly, Percy tore open the envelope and yanked out the crumpled parchment within, terrified of its contents. People were swirling around him, nearly jostling the letter out of his hands, as the chaos in the room continued. No one was aware of the fear and apprehension raging within him.

Bringing the paper close to his face and squinting through his glasses, Percy tried to make out the messily scrawled words.

_Weasley—_

_It's happening. That idiot martyr Potter and his friends are going to have it out with the Death Eaters at Hogwarts. _

Short, curt and gruff, everything that Aberforth himself was. It was amazing that so few words could hold so much meaning, and could make his body shake and his heart pound so much.

Potter and his friends—Harry, Ron and Hermione. Those three headstrong, heroic, mental, amazing idiots. At Hogwarts. Going to make a fight of it, a final stand.

This was it, Percy realized. After this, everything could be over. They could be safe again. Or everything could be lost.

It was unfathomable, truly unfathomable. Percy's brain was running in overdrive, completely unaware of what was going on around him, only able to hold onto one thought for more than a few seconds.

He had to go. Now.

Percy stared, practically unseeingly, around at the bustling crowd. For a moment, he contemplated getting Lynn, rallying her to come fight with him, but he decided against it. She was needed here more, and Audrey was still fighting in Romania. It looked like Percy was going to have to do this alone.

Or maybe not quite totally alone, if he could find his family…

Percy spun around, trying to find the nearest door, pushing towards it. He burst out into the warm night air and, raising his wand to attention and turning sharply, disapparated. He appeared a second later, on a stone street of Hogsmeade. The dilapidated, hulking building of the Hogshead stood before him. He raised his gaze up to the horizon, seeing the massive silhouette of the castle. He couldn't see anything unusual going on from this far away, but that didn't mean there wasn't fighting going on inside. _What if I miss it?_ Percy wondered desperately. _What if I'm too late? _

Shoving these thoughts from his head, Percy ran into the pub. He burst inside, barely even noticing the smell of goats and liquor. Staring around wildly, Percy caught sight of Aberforth, who was standing behind the bar.

Percy forced himself forward around the tables, eyes wide, glasses askew, and met Aberforth's bright blue gaze.

"What are you waiting, for boy?" the man hollered, waving his hand toward the stairs. "Get up there and through the portrait!"

Percy bobbed his head harshly in agreement, sweeping up the stairs. "And you're welcome for saving that ruddy owl of yours!" Aberforth called after him.

Percy stumbled into the sitting room. Audrey's mattress was still lying there in the corner, sheets crumpled and dirty. Percy realized he must have been the last person to sleep there.

Percy reached the portrait of Arianna, who was looking around with wide, excited eyes, which had swung open to reveal a long passageway. It must go to Hogwarts, Percy deduced. One of those ancient secret tunnels that Fred and George had been so fond of in their school years.

A fleeing student stumbled out of the passage, barely sparing Percy a frightened glance before he hurried down the steps. Percy leapt up into the tunnel, feet meeting the earthy floor. Light from the brass lamps reflected off his glasses as he ran, making it difficult to see.

The floor began to slope up steeply, and Percy panted for breath as he tried to climb it. The tunnel was far too long…he was going to miss it…it was going to be too late…

Finally he turned a sharp corner and saw a shaft of light burning through, lighting the stale air. _Almost there! _Percy thought, excited and terrified, as he hurried up a short flight of stairs. He could hear voices arguing in the adjacent room and he rushed towards them, clambering out of the tunnel.

_Fuck! _Percy, off balance from the awkward descent, fell over and hit the floor with a thump, knocking his glasses askew. He grabbed the nearest structure he could see to drag himself up—it was a chair—and pulled himself into it. Percy looked around the room wildly, desperately trying to get his eyes to adjust, to see through his lopsided, dirty horn-rimmed glasses.

"Am I too late?" he babbled to no one in particular. "Has it started? I only just found out, so I—I—"

Percy's mind went completely, utterly blank in the next second and he spluttered into silence, because standing in front of him was _his entire family_. Almost _everyone_. Bill and Fred and George and Ginny and Mum and Dad. He was astonished, unable to move, he hadn't expected to see everyone—not in one go, not like this. It was too much, and all they could do was stare at each other.

The blond woman standing next to Bill suddenly spoke up, and Percy remembered that this woman—Fleur Delacour—was his sister-in-law now. She was saying something, loudly, but Percy wasn't paying attention to her, or to Professor Lupin when he spoke and pulled a photograph out of his pocket.

"Here, I've got a picture!" Percy heard Lupin's voice, sounding in the distance.

They were talking, desperately trying to ease the icy tension between the Weasleys. Maybe, if Percy just stayed silent long enough, everyone would leave, he wouldn't have to talk to Mum and Dad and Ginny and Ron…

But did he really want that? This was the final stand, the Order's final fight… and some fighters wouldn't be coming back.

Did he want to end up like Ayden, tortured inside because his family was dead and he never had the chance to take back his hateful words and say goodbye?

Everything was coming to the surface now, all the feelings he had been suppressing for years. He had been so _stupid_, seeing their faces now made him more sure of that than ever. _I've been stupid and arrogant and an arse and…and…_

"I was a fool!" he roared, his thoughts suddenly coming out verbally. His voice was shaking, but there was no way he was stopping now, not before he got everything out into the open. "I was an idiot. I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—" Percy gasped wildly.

"Ministry—loving, family—disowning, power—hungry moron," supplied Fred, and Percy could swear he could see a small bit of humor barely sparkling in his little brother's eyes. Just barely.

He swallowed.

"Yes, I was!" Percy replied, because he honestly couldn't have put in better himself

The spark of humor erupted into a raging fire in Fred's warm brown eyes, and he smiled. Percy never thought he'd feel so blessed to see that smile.

"Well, you can't say fairer than that," Fred said, holding out his hand. Percy only had a chance to grasp it for a second before his mum burst into hysteric tears and ran forward, shoving Fred aside and pulling Percy into a hug. It was so tight he could hardly breathe, and he awkwardly patted her on her head, but she was not where his attention was directed.

His father still hadn't said anything, was just standing there silently. Percy felt his breath catch in his throat. "I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered, finally finding the courage to say the words he'd been thinking for years.

His father blinked rapidly, and then hurried over and hugged him too. Percy felt tears burn in his eyes.

"What made you see sense, Perce?" George asked, when he father released him.

What made him see sense? Percy closed his eyes against the tears and saw their faces clearly in his mind. Audrey and Lynn and Ayden. But that was a story for later. They had a war to fight now. "It's been coming on for a while," Percy said, picking up the corner of his cloak and wiping away the moisture from his eyes and glasses. "But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight of it, so here I am."

"Well, we do look to our prefects to take a lead at times such as these," George said, and for once in his life Percy had to bite back a laugh, not a scowl, at his little brother's imitation of him. It was quite good. "Now let's get upstairs and fight," continued George with a cheeky grin, "or all the good Death Eaters'll be taken."

Percy gave him a slight smile, and, righting his glasses, hurried off toward the staircase with Bill, Fleur, and the twins. He turned to the Fleur, who he hadn't seen since the Triwizard Tournament. It looked like he needed to make up for some lost time.

"So," he said happily to her, "you're my sister-in-law now?" They shook hands, and Percy saw Bill's scarred face split into a smile at the movement. Their group was soon joined by their mum and dad and Lupin. They all burst into the Great Hall moments later, striding with a sense of purpose.

For the first time in a long time, Percy truly felt part of the Weasley family. They might have been going to war, but Percy could only feel a bubble of elation rising in his chest, not fear.

The Great Hall was in chaos. It was lit only by candle and star light, and was full of hundreds of students in varying states of disarray. Percy could see other familiar faces in the crowd; people from the Ministry and Hogwarts graduates and faces he remembered from the old photographs of the Order of Phoenix. He scanned the crowds carefully, half-expecting to see Audrey there, but she wasn't. A bit of worry twanged in his stomach, but he pushed it away, concentrating on the task at hand.

All eyes were on Professor McGonagall, and Percy stopped with the rest of his group to listen to her.

"Student evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your House and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."

There was a frightened murmuring among the students, and Percy wondered if he should be helping to organize them. He still couldn't shake the idea that any order given to the prefects was meant for him.

Suddenly, a Hufflepuff leapt up onto the table. "And what if we want to stay and fight?" he shouted, and a wave of applause ran through the Hall. Percy wanted to join in.

"If you are of age, you may stay," Professor McGonagall replied, her voice strong.

There was another murmur in the crowd when a Ravenclaw called out, "What about our things? Our trunks, our owls?"

"We have no time to collect possessions," responded Professor McGonagall sharply. "The important thing is to get you out of here safely."

"Where's Professor Snape?" called out a Slytherin.

McGonagall replied with a slight, tense smile on her lips. "He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk."

Roars of approval rose again from the tables, and this time Percy did join in, punching his fist in the air with a bellow. Bill shot him a bewildered glance, but the twins were too busy cheering to notice. They quieted down again as McGonagall continued.

"We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects—"

"I know that you are preparing to fight."

There were shouts of fear and Percy felt cold terror run down his spine. A high, cold voice emanating from everywhere and nowhere at the same time filled the Hall. All the blood drained from Percy's face, and he clutched his wand tightly with a shaking hand. There was no mistaking the owner of that icy voice. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.

"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

There was silence in the Hall, everyone staring at Harry, almost as if they were considering You-Know-Who's—no, _Voldemort's_—offer. Percy pulled his wand up, jaw set, ready for a fight. There was one thought in his head.

_They're not taking Harry. _

Not while he was still breathing.

A figure rose from the Slytherin table, a hefty girl, who screamed, "But he's there! Potter's _there_! Somebody grab him!"

All the Gryffindors leapt to their feet and, Percy among them, stood facing the girl, wands out. Blood was roaring in his ears as more and more students got to their feet, forming a bristling wall between the Slytherins and Harry.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," Professor McGonagall said coolly. "You will leave the Hall first will Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."

The Slytherins began to file out of the Great Hall.

"Ravenclaws, follow on!" McGonagall shouted over the din as Percy, following Bill and the twins, pushed forward the front of the Gryffindor table. They sat down together, the other Weasleys joining them, and watched as McGonagall attempted to filter out the underage students from those who remained.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?"

Percy's head shot up as he heard Harry's worried voice. He immediately began to twist around, looking for his youngest brother and Hermione.

"Haven't you found—?" His dad started, but broke off as Kingsley stepped up in front of the Hall, addressing all the fighters who had remained.

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers—Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor—where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus, Arthur and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways into the school—"

"Sounds like a job for us!" called Fred from beside Percy, pointing at himself and then his twin.

Kingsley nodded. "All right," he shouted, raising his wand up, "leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"

Percy leapt to his feet along with everyone else, but immediately began to feel lost in the crowd. People were pushing around him, but he had no idea of where to go—

"Come on, son!" Percy head snapped around to see his father, standing at the front of the Hall, with a hand extended towards his third boy.

Percy grinned and hurried up to stand next to his father.

It was time to fight.


	31. The Battle of Hogwarts

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

_A/N: This isn't the last chapter; there is going to be at least one more. _

_But, jeez, this one was hard to write…_

Chapter 31

Percy followed his father's thinning red head of hair as their group headed out to the grounds. As Percy walked by Fred and George, he heard them scheming.

"Okay, George, you take Lavender and Eloise and the rest of that lot," Fred said, waving his hand at one half of their knot of people. "We need to cover the passage up behind the sixth floor tapestry, and the one near that gargoyle statue in the dungeons, and uh…"

"Don't forget the tunnel to Honeydukes on the third floor, the one-eyed witch!" Percy added quickly as he walked past them. Their heads shot around to face him, staring at him with unconcealed disbelief.

"You_ knew_ about that?" George choked out, gaping at him. "How…?"

Percy rolled his eyes at the incredulous looks on his brother's faces. "Honestly, I was Head Boy! Did you think I walked around this school with my head up my arse?"

The twins exchanged a look. "Well…" began Fred mischievously.

Percy grinned, giving them a mock glare. "Just get on with it!" he shouted, hurrying past them to keep up with his father.

He kept pace with the group as they pushed from the castle corridors out onto the grounds, into the warm air. Percy cast his gaze upwards, to the starry sky, where he could see the dark shapes of figures on broomsticks darting to and fro. From the ground, he couldn't tell if they were defenders or Death Eaters.

"Heads up!" He heard his father shout and he looked outward, trying to find the source behind the warning. In seconds he saw it—the walls were being breached. The protective spells they had put around the school and the physical walls themselves were crumbling, and hooded and cloaked figures were pouring in. Percy raised his wand, surprised to find that his hands were steady.

He was ready. It was time to do this.

All the other fighters were spreading out, forming a wedge across the grounds. Percy recognized faces as they stepped up to fight— Oliver Wood, from the Quidditch team, Cho Chang, one of the hostages of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, Luna Lovegood, a bizarre young girl who was a friend of his younger siblings. All of them, such different people, drawn together for one cause.

Suddenly, a single red jet of light shot from one of their fighters, arching through the dark air until it struck one of the Death Eaters. He dropped like a stone from the wall he had been climbing.

It was like a flood gate had been opened with that one curse, and soon there were more spells in the air and stars in the sky. Percy felt like he was going to suffocate in the bright onslaught of magical energy.

He rushed forward, fighting his way through the fray, and added his own curses to the mess. Nothing felt better than watching Death Eater after Death Eaters collapsing under his spells.

Everyone was fighting admirably, but they were being forced back by the sheer number of Death Eaters. They had been pushed so far back that their backs were against the castle wall when a shot of orange light struck Percy in the arm, and he swore, feeling waves of pain shoot through the limb. He lost his balance and fell, just managing to keep his wand in his grip.

Percy groaned, trying to push himself back up to rejoin the fight, when he saw a huge, humanoid shape lumbering across the lawn, sending their fighters scurrying out of the way so as not to be crushed underfoot.

Percy flipped over, dragging himself to his feet. He was unable to do anything but watch in horror as the shape—which he now realized was a particularly large giant—hefted a huge rock in his arms and threw it at one of the towers of the castle. There were shouts of fear and horror as the tower broke apart and collapsed, chunks of stone breaking free and piercing the ground.

More giants were thundering towards the castle, roaring in blind rage, beating at the ground as terrified fighters tried to run past them. Percy winced as he saw a giant fist make contact with a student, sending him flying through the air. Huge spiders were scuttling across grass, making him think of Ron. The Death Eaters had gained a dangerous amount of ground on them. It wouldn't be long until—

"They've breached the castle!" Arthur roared over the chaos of the fight. "Up on the seventh floor! We need people to go inside, force them out!"

Inside, where Fred, George, Ron and Ginny would undoubtedly be. "I'll go!" Percy volunteered, and waited just long enough to get a nod of approval from his father before running for the nearest entrance. The guards there, recognizing him, let him pass.

There were people running back and forth through the Entrance Hall, carrying weapons in the form of plants and other magical artifacts, calling out to each other. Tuning out their cries, and those outside the castle, Percy cast his gaze about wildly. Where was that damn portrait—?

Percy let out a cry of relief as he spotted it, a tall, life-size portrait whose occupant was jumping up and down screaming orders to the fighters in a language even Percy didn't understand. He rushed towards it, ignoring the man's indignant cries as Percy grabbed his portrait and swung it open, revealing the passage behind.

Percy flung himself up the steep staircase in the passage, sprinting around and around until he was so dizzy he thought he was going to be sick. Finally, he reached the top and spilled out into a seventh floor corridor. As he pulled himself up to his feet, listening carefully for any signs of distress, Percy was greeted by silence. Maybe, he thought, maybe his dad had been wrong, and no Death Eaters had reached this floor yet…

There was a sudden crash and several loud shouts that immediately banished these thoughts from his head. Whipping around to face the source of the noise, Percy ran towards it.

He had only moved a few steps when he saw someone stumble backwards around a corner, raising his wand to defend himself against an onslaught of three Death Eaters. Percy's eyes settled on the person, and in a second he recognized Fred. With a bellow of rage, he surged forward, knocking the first Death Eaters out with a clean stunner to the throat. Shouting and waving his wand, sending spells flying everywhere, Percy distracted the remaining two Death Eaters just long enough to give Fred enough time to get his bearings back. A minute later, all three Death Eaters lay unconscious at their feet.

Panting, Fred turned to him. "Thanks, mate…"

Percy immediately reverted into big brother mode, checking him over for injuries. "Are you hurt, Fred?" he asked nervously. Fred was covered with dust and powered stone from the crumbling walls, but he didn't seem to have any wound besides a few cuts.

Fred shook his head, pushing away Percy's hands before saying slyly, "You knew it was me. I guess it's a bit easier to tell us apart since George lost his ear, then?"

Percy felt a twist of discomfort and something else—was it guilt?—in his stomach at this, thinking about how badly his little brother had been cursed in his absence. But he pushed it down, trying to put on a strong face. "Please, Fred, I could always tell you two apart. You might have fooled Mum and Dad, but you never fooled me."

For a moment, even amongst the ruined hallway and unconscious bodies, they were suddenly brothers again, joking around like it was any normal day. Percy smiled at the little brother that he was just now realizing how much he had missed.

Fred returned the smile, sweeping some dirty red hair from his face, but then the smile wavered and his eyes got a faraway look for a second, as if he was remembering something. "Hey, Perce," he said, voice uncharacteristically serious. "Was that you that day, over the radio? When we made contact with the Wizard Underground station? Do you remember that?"

Remember? Of course Percy did. He remembered the thrill of panic at hearing Fred's voice, the confusion and hurt when his little brother had just kept talking like he didn't even recognize him, and the hope when Fred had told him to stay safe.

"Yes, that was…that was me. I was manning that station with another person." he replied quietly, unable to get the pride from his voice. But there were some things that you _should_ be allowed to be proud of, right?

Fred's eyes lit up. "Really?" he grinned. "The other person—was that the American I talked to?"

"Her name is Audrey. She's… my girlfriend."

Percy didn't know why he said that—in the middle of a war is not the time to discuss these sorts of things—but it just spilled out. And it had felt really, really good to say.

Fred's eyes widened with disbelief. "Seriously, Perce? Cause she sounded like a looker..."

Percy opened his mouth to respond in a mock-indignant voice, but never got the chance because at that moment, several spells went ricocheting across the stone walls. He was on the alert again immediately; ready to get back into the fighting.

There were be time for family later, of course.

Percy let out a strangled grunt as Fred threw his burly shoulder into his chest, knocking him out of the way of a nasty looking curse. After tumbling unceremoniously to the floor, they both dragged themselves to their feet.

They were facing two Death Eaters, Percy noted, both hooded and masked. The Death Eaters had the upper hand, and Percy and Fred were forced to back around a corner, still dueling viciously.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw Ron, Hermione and Harry running up towards them. If he hadn't been concentrating on the duel, Percy might have had time to worry about how they all looked singed and blackened.

The Death Eaters were suddenly outnumbered, and backed off under the onslaught of jets of light. One of them jerked away so quickly that his hood fell back, revealing a very familiar over-hanging forehead and dark, beady eyes…

"Hello, Minister!" Percy shouted, immediately recognizing Thicknesse. He shot a neat jinx Audrey had taught him straight at the man's chest, watching with satisfaction as the Neanderthal clawed at his robes. Percy remembered that, the last time he had seen the Minister, he hadn't had a chance to say a proper good-bye…

"Did I mention I'm resigning?" he bellowed as Thicknesse began to erupt in tiny spikes.

"You're joking, Perce!"

Fred's voice, full of delight and disbelief, rang through the corridor as the Death Eater he was dueling collapsed in a shower of stunners.

"You actually are joking, Perce…. I don't think I've heard you joke since you were—"

Everything went to hell in that second. Percy shouted in fear and surprise as the air was rent apart and the world flipped over. He was thrown into the air and then crashed down onto a pile of wreckage, feeling cold wind washing over him.

Percy pushed himself up with shaking arms, looking desperately around to check if everyone was all right.

He turned, shifting on to his knees.

And then he saw Fred, whose body was still and eyes blank.

He screamed.

The sound was full of pain and agony and Percy threw himself at his brother, shaking him because _it couldn't be true. Not Fred. IT COULDN'T BE TRUE! _

"No—no—no!" he cried, shaking his little brother. Fred needed to wake up _right now, _because if this was a joke it wasn't funny, but Fred's face was set in a laugh but it wasn't _funny_. "No! Fred! No!"

More curses were flying overhead, and Percy could hear Harry shouting. He flung himself over Fred, because he couldn't let anything else happen to him. He would protect Fred. He _would. _

Harry was yelling something, and then so was Ron and someone grabbed his shoulders, trying to pull him away from his little brother but NO!

He couldn't leave Fred. He wouldn't. Not again, never again.

"Percy, you can't do anything for him! We're going to— " It was Ron's voice, cut off by Hermione's scream. Percy didn't listen to her, instead hearing Ron's words echoing in his mind.

_Percy, you can't do anything for him! _

Percy wanted to scream at him to _shut up _because of course he could do something, he was Perfect Prefect Percy and he had to be able to fix this!

"Let's move, NOW!"

More curses were flying overhead, and giant spiders were beginning to scale the walls up the castle, towards them.

The battle was still going on, Percy realized. They needed to keep fighting, they couldn't stay here.

Fred was gone.

Percy knew it was true as he helped Harry hide the body, out of harm's way.

Fred was gone. The Death Eaters had murdered him.

Percy felt deep, indescribable rage like he had never felt before shaking his body. He wanted blood. He wanted to fucking _kill_ those fucking _bastards_ for what they'd done to Fred—

He rounded a corner, seeing Rookwood attacking a group of students, the filthy, greasy, disgusting son of a bitch.

"ROOKWOOD!" he roared, seeing red.

Percy chased the Death Eater down, violently knocking his wand away. He must have looked as angry as he felt, because the man backed away, terrified. Percy unleashed every curse he knew, until Rookwood cowered on the ground in front of him.

The two most deadly words in the wizarding language were on Percy's lips. He was heaving wild, angry breaths, arms shaking with rage— he wanted nothing more than to say them and watch the bright green light take away from this bastard what the Death Eaters had taken away from Fred.

But he didn't. He sent Rookwood into unconsciousness with a quick, nonverbal spell and moved on to keep fighting.

It could have been hours or minutes before the high, cold voice sounded again, and all the fighting stilled. Percy used the moment of confusion to take down his dueling opponent before stopping to listen.

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

_How could a coward know how to value bravery? _Percy thought savagely.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."

Percy growled.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity."

He felt a white-hot flash and anger and sorrow.

"Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Percy stood unmoving, staring at nothing, as tired fighters began to drag themselves up around him.

_Don't do it, Harry. Don't let him win. _

Percy turned, about to walk to the Great Hall and help with the injured, but then he remembered.

He had to get Fred.

The ascent to the seventh floor corridor was cold, inside and out. Percy walked silently up the mangled staircases, watching numbly as adults and students alike picked their way through the wreckage and rubble. He stopped every once and while to help those in need, but said nothing.

The corridor, when he reached it, was almost completely destroyed, and at first Percy feared that Fred had been lost. But he found his little brother, as lifeless as when he had left him, tucked away in the niche. Getting down on his hands and knees, Percy dragged him out.

By the starlight, Percy could just barely make out Fred's face, the blank eyes and the laugh still set on his features. Cold wind blew through the wide holes in the wall, ruffling Percy's hair and making him shiver. He tightened his torn cloak, although it did nothing to ease the icy feeling in his chest.

"Oh, Fred…" he whispered.

Percy slipped his arms under his brother's body and tried to lift him, but he couldn't. Fred might be two years younger than him, and shorter, but he was broader and more muscular and Percy could do nothing to move him downstairs.

Somehow, it all just hit him at that moment, and he fell back on his heels, burying his head in hands, feeling hot tears spill from his eyes in two endless streams. He sat there and cried for a minute, feeling utterly pathetic and worthless.

But Percy knew he couldn't just sit and wallow forever; he owed it to his family, to his friends—hell, to everyone who had been brave enough to stay and fight for freedom—to keep going.

He cast a Weight-Reducing charm on Fred's body and picked him up without much strain. He could feel fresh tears making tracks in the dirt on his face.

When he entered the Great Hall it was already full of people, and he went unnoticed as he walked towards the center of the Hall, to where the dead had been placed.

Percy walked slowly to the end of the line, placing Fred's body down with loving care. Then he collapsed down next to him, sobbing silently.

A scream of anguish told him that his mother had arrived, and he wanted to hug her, to comfort her, but he couldn't get his body to move. He sat on the ground, shaking, unable to watch as first George, then Dad, then Ginny and Bill and Fleur came in and saw Fred. He didn't get up until Bill, whose scarred face was blotchy and red, gently pulled him up to his feet and hugged him. He buried his face in Bill's shoulder for a few seconds before stepping away, wiping his eyes.

It hurt nearly as much to watch his family mourn Fred as it had to first look into his blank eyes. His Dad was crying, stroking his Mum's hair as she lay sobbing over Fred's chest. George was kneeling at his head, face full of unknowable pain. Like he had lost half of himself.

Suddenly Percy saw Ron and Hermione approach. Hermione immediately drew Ginny into a hug, and as Ron walked over to them Percy threw his arm around him, incredibly relieved that he was okay.

The hour passed in numb pain. Injuries were treated, the dead lain out and mourned, and people with anguished eyes prepared to fight once more.

The voice of Voldemort again shook the castle.

"Harry Potter is dead."

There were cries of shock and terror throughout the hall, and Percy's head snapped up just in time to see the horror pass over Ron's face. He and Hermione turned and began to push through the crowd, going Merlin knows where because the high, cold voice came from nowhere, and everywhere at the same time…

"He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him."

"_LIES!_"

Everyone around them jumped, because it was the first word that George has spoken since he had seen his twin. Percy knew he was right, that Voldemort was lying, because Harry never would have run away. He wasn't a coward.

"We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

Voldemort kept talking, hateful, emotionless words but Percy didn't listen as he joined the flood of people out to the grounds.

Voldemort stood there, amongst the wreckage and rubble, flanked by his many Death Eaters. Just the sight of him sent waves of paralyzing fear and blazing anger through Percy's body.

And then, with some confusion, Percy recognized the half-giant games keeper, standing up with them. Hagrid was crying, huge tears, and Percy suddenly realized why.

Harry Potter's body was in Hagrid's arm.

It was true, then, there was no more denying it. Harry was dead. Percy felt his inside freeze up as McGonagall and Ginny and Ron and Hermione starting screaming.

Harry couldn't be dead, because for all the times he had looked down on the boy, been angry with him, even _jealous _of him, Percy found that he viewed Harry as a little brother and he'd be damned if he let another little brother go tonight without a fight.

So he howled and shouted with the other fighters, throwing himself at the Death Eaters, knowing that they would all be fighting to the very end. They would never submit. He watched in horror as he tried to recruit then kill Neville Longbottom, and when chaos broke out he began to fight again.

They had all moved into entrance hall. All Percy's self-control had been lost; he was throwing curses out in a blind rage, until—

"AUDREY!" Percy bellowed, as he caught sight of a familiar head of curly hair, and a dust-smeared face that was truly amazing to see.

He had no idea how she heard him over the bedlam, but she whipped around to face him. They flung themselves at each other, and in the chaos of the battle he found time to hug her to his chest, if only for a second.

"Charlie's fine," she said quickly, knowing he'd want to hear it. "We came as soon as we heard."

"Lynn's fine, too," Percy responded. But that was all they had time to say to each other before Percy saw his father struggling to duel Thicknesse, and sprinted over to join him. Together, they floored him easily, Percy casting the same transfiguring charm as he had before.

As they fought together, Audrey enthusiastically jumping in, Percy suddenly heard his mother's voice.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Percy tried to see through the crowd who she was fighting, to help take down the bitch that had threatened Ginny, when his mum shouted again. "OUT OF MY WAY!"

He decided then that she maybe didn't need his help on this one, and rejoined Audrey.

Minutes later, Bellatrix Lestrange fell over dead, and Voldemort pointed his wand at Percy's mum.

"_Protego!" _A voice hollered, and then from nowhere Harry Potter appeared.

Seeing him, alive and well, made Percy want to laugh and scream with joy, but the crowd soon fell silent with fear.

Percy watched with disbelief as Harry and Voldemort circled each other, wands out, but neither making a move. They walked tensely around, the hatred and anger between them palpable, talking about things Percy didn't understand.

He was sick with fear and apprehension, knowing that what he was watching could either win the war or lose it forever.

The tension was mounting, terror gripping the hall, until—

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The spells collided and burst into golden flames, Voldemort's wand spinning into the air. And then the great monster fell to the ground, dead.

It was over.


	32. Saying Goodbye

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

Chapter 32

It was one of the strangest atmospheres that Percy had ever been in. Everyone around him was ecstatic and heartbroken at the same time, grieving and celebrating simultaneously. Percy, too, was conflicted because it was over, it was fucking over and they wouldn't ever have to be afraid again. But at what cost? Fred was lying there, dead on the floor, and so were Professor Lupin, the best D.A.D.A. teacher they'd ever had, and Tonks, who'd tried to look after him when he'd been alone in the world.

Yes, that was the cost, them and countless others who were lain out lovingly on the floor, some of whom Percy knew by name, others only by face, some not at all. But Percy felt inexplicably close to all of them, everyone in room, living and dead, because they all had been fighting for the same cause. But not all of them would be around to enjoy the future they'd created, Percy realized. Not everyone would get the chance to be free of fear.

All the Weasleys had somehow shifted to sitting at a table near Fred's body, and Percy was staring down at him, his eyes glazed over with tears. His little brother was lying there, dead on the ground. How had he let this happen? He had been right there…

"It's my fault," Percy mumbled into his hands as he covered his face with them. "It's all my fault, I should have saved him."

Percy didn't so much as glance up to see their expressions, didn't even want to imagine what they looked like at his confession.

"Don't be so stupid," a voice suddenly snapped, and Percy looked up in surprise to see Bill's scarred and tear-streaked face glaring at him. "That's _not_ true, so don't even say it."

"But it is true, I was right there…"

"So was I." Percy turned to face this newest voice and saw Hermione. When did she get here? "I was there, and so was Ron, and so was Harry. Are you going to say it was our fault, too?"

"But I distracted him," Percy countered immediately, having already gone through this himself. "If I hadn't made that stupid joke—"

"Then he wouldn't have died with a smile on his face," Hermione interrupted firmly.

"It wasn't your fault, Perce," George said quietly. His face was still hidden in his arms, his voice uncharacteristically frail. "I wasn't there, but I know you, and so I know that much. It wasn't your fault."

Percy nodded slowly, knowing that someday he'd be able to believe that. It wasn't the duty of the survivors to live in guilt, not forever.

But he did have another duty, Percy realized, and that was too make sure that everyone who had fought here and not lived to see morning was remembered.

Percy rose, knowing what he had to do. He barely made it one step before Audrey, who had been checking up on her Wizard Underground friends who had fought, ran up and hugged him. Percy held her tightly, relishing in the fact that she was alive, that she was okay. They kissed, and Percy could taste the tears she had been crying.

"Who's that, Percy?" Ginny called out from her sitting position, staring curiously up at Audrey.

"Umm…" Audrey glanced back from Ginny to Percy, before answering simply, "I'm Audrey. I'm Percy's…well, I guess you can tell."

Percy went through the introduction methodically, oldest to youngest, glasses fogging up with moisture when it came around to Fred's name in the sequence of his siblings. He stumbled over it and continued, introducing Audrey to everyone before shakily excusing himself and leaving the table.

Audrey followed him, looking confused as he pushed his way through the mourners and the celebrators, out of the Great Hall and into a deserted corridor.

"Percy," she panted, jogging after him as he practically broke into a run. "Percy, what are you doing?"

Percy steadfastly refused to answer the question as he ducked into the nearest classroom—History of Magic. He began ruffling through the desks, throwing books to the ground as he searched. He ignored the bemused ghost of Professor Binns, who was asking "what on Earth are you doing in the History of Magic classroom, Mr. Weather?" and floating around him in circles as he moved through the classroom. Percy winced as Binns, trying to grab his shoulder, passed a ghostly hand through his body.

He breathed a sigh of relief as Audrey distracted the ghost with a question about goblin riots. Finally, Percy found what he was looking for—a spare roll of parchment, quill and inkpot. He shoved them in his cloak pockets and hurried off, dragging Audrey away from where she stood, being lectured by Binns' droning voice.

"Hey," she protested as Percy tugged on her arm. "Hey—he was talking about the goblin riots of 1456, that was interesting!"

"_Interesting?_" Percy stopped abruptly, wheeling around to face her. "That was Binns… and you were saying he was _interesting_?"

"Well, yes, I thought so," Audrey replied, looking at him through wide, concerned eyes.

Percy made a mental note to laugh hysterically about this at some point, but for now he just shook his head and continued down the corridor, back to the clamor of the Great Hall.

He stared at the long line of dead, and slowly began writing down the names of those he recognized. Audrey soon realized what he was doing, and began to help, gently questioning the families of the dead whose names Percy didn't know.

Soon enough, Percy would have the names of all who had died here at Hogwarts. Later, he would go on and find out everyone who had been killed earlier.

Percy made a solemn pledge there, standing amongst the legions of the grieving, the celebrating and the dead, that no one would be forgotten.

Fred's funeral came all too soon for everyone involved. Originally, it was supposed to be a small affair, just immediately family and closest friends. But it didn't end up like that.

Huge crowds flocked to the Burrow to say goodbye to Fred. The ceremony was taking place in the fields outside the house, and so was the wake, because there was no way in hell that everyone who had come could fit inside.

It had been a battle trying to get all the chickens—who had escaped and bred when the Weasleys had gone into hiding—out of the yard so they could all set up. A year ago, they all would have laughed at this, desperately trying to chase away the fowl while simultaneously attempting to stop them from eating the gnomes and vice versa, but now no one could laugh, thinking about how much Fred would enjoy this.

So Percy watched with joyless eyes as Bill and Charlie conjured up and set out more chairs to accommodate all the mourners. There was the occasional, tiny smile as someone greeted a friend they hadn't seen in a while, but they were short and insincere. Everyone was _sad_, and nothing else.

Percy was feeling physically sick as he carried trays of food from inside, where Molly was cooking and weeping, to outside, where everyone was too depressed to eat. Percy had never believed that emotions were centered around the heart but that was the only thing that could explain the icy tug on his chest. And it made everything that much worse to see George, who was sitting huddled in the first row, eyes that were as blank and lifeless as Fred's staring down at the ground. Everyone save Ginny was too scared to try to comfort him, but as his little sister walked over George all but shouted at her to leave him alone.

Percy slammed down the tray of food on a nearby table and turned away. This wasn't what Fred would have wanted, as clichéd as it sounded. He wouldn't have wanted to go out like this, not a fucking stiff and proper send-off with a dignified ceremony and a coffin draped in black. None of this represented what Fred was, and what he should be remembered as.

"Perce…?" A warm hand slipped over his black robes and down his arm to entwine its fingers with his. He looked over to see Audrey give him a small, sad smile. "How are you doing?" she asked gently, squeezing his hand.

He wiped hand over his eyes and adjusted his glasses. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," he responded slowly. "I just… I just think that…" Percy shook his head.

"What?" Audrey said softly. "What do you think?"

Percy stared into her warm, questioning hazel eyes for a moment before turning away to look back up to the coffin. It had been covered with a black drapery, decorated with purple and red flowers. Someone had set a large picture of Fred next to it, and Percy had no idea where the fuck they had found that picture because it had to be the only one on Earth of Fred where he wasn't making some stupid face or laughing at the camera. No, in this one he was just staring out at them humorlessly.

"It's just…" Percy shook his head again, winding his fingers in his bright red hair, pulling on it agitatedly. "You didn't know Fred. He…he wouldn't have wanted a funeral like this. Not something so…so solemn and fucking dignified. He would have _hated_ this. He would have wanted people drinking and laughing, and fooling around…"

"Well then let's get him _that_ funeral. The one he _would_ have wanted." Percy, surprised at the spirit in her voice, returned his gaze to her. Her eyes were sparkling with familiar mischief.

"But _how_? And I can't just say a word and make everyone happy and change everything." Everyone was beginning to find their seats, sitting down and murmuring quietly to each other. There was still a while before the start of the ceremony, but everyone was acting as if it was going on now.

"Perce. If something is important enough, you _make _it happen. So," Audrey said, "what are we going to do?"

Percy ran his tongue over his teeth, considering.

Percy paced back and forth in the dust road outside the Burrow, waiting for Audrey to return. Finally, there was a _crack! _off in the distance and he saw her run up the road, a large crate bobbing behind her. As they met in the middle of the road—which Percy figured was far enough away from the funeral set-up for them to remain unseen—Audrey slowly lowered the wooden crate and Percy pried the top off. He rummaged around, investigating what Audrey had brought.

"Is this good?" she asked, worriedly looking around. "I probably have time to get something else."

"No," he whispered with reverence. "This is perfect."

He began to pull out prime examples of the stock Audrey had brought. "Catherine wheels…Dragons…Sparklers…Piglets…Skywriters…" Percy looked gleefully up at Audrey. "Are these _all_ the Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs?"

Audrey grinned. "I've modified a few of them," she replied flippantly. "And I've got everything else you asked for," she continued, digging through her pockets. _There must be Undetectable _

_Extension Charms on half of them_, Percy thought, based on all Audrey was pulling out of them. "Let's see, I brought Butterbeer, firewhiskey, the trick candies, the miniature flying broomsticks…"

"Brilliant, brilliant…" Percy began jamming the stuff in his pockets, allowing his stomach was churning anxiously. _I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I'm doing this… _

"It'll be worth it, Perce," Audrey said as she resealed the crate, as if she could read his mind. "It's what Fred would have wanted, right?"

"Yes, I supp—"

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" An angry voice demanded from behind them. Percy and Audrey whirled around to see Bill towering over them. They blanched. Frowning, Bill pushed past them and poked around in the crate. He straightened up and glared at Percy. "How _dare_ you try to pull something like this—"

Percy gulped.

"—without me?" Bill's face suddenly broke into a small smile. He grabbed an armful of fireworks. "It's really depressing, isn't it? Fred would have wanted something a bit more…mischievous."

"I thought so, too," Percy replied quietly, glad that he wasn't the only who thought the funeral had felt to wrong.

"Yeah. I'll go get Ginny in on this, she was saying before how Fred deserved something more." With a wink at Audrey, Bill stuck some more firecrackers in his robes and hurried off.

Audrey looked meaningfully at him. "See? This was the right thing to do."

Percy just nodded as they returned to the ceremony area. About ten minutes later, Percy saw Bill and Ginny hurry back, quickly tucking things under their robes.

You wouldn't have noticed Bill and Ginny acting strangely unless you were specifically looking for it, as Percy was. He watched as they walked in opposite directions around the perimeter, stopping and bending over every time they encountered a bush or unused chair.

Percy blinked in surprise as Audrey yanked him aside and hefted a large, block-like firework into his arms. "It's a Skywriter I modified," she explained. "All you have to do is write what you want it to say on the side and then I think you should put it behind the stage."

Percy nodded. "Okay. I'll handle this." After a few seconds thought, he scrawled a new message on the firework, and smiled.

He carefully crept around the stage, keeping low to hide behind the bushes. He plunked it down in the dirt.

"Perce!" Percy jumped as Ginny touched his shoulder. She rolled her eyes at his skittishness. Pulling back her long red hair, Ginny hooked some cord through the Skywriter and then pulled it up to eyelevel. "We hooked up all the fireworks to this ignition cord. All you have to do is set this on fire and everything blows. I think you should do the honors, seeing as this was your idea."

Percy could do nothing but nod stupidly as he took the cord in his hand. Ginny hurried off.

Percy slowly counted to ten, and then, "_Incendio!_"

He rushed out to the front to watch their handiwork. The air exploded into multicolored sparks, and everybody began to scream in shock. Blue and green Dragons flew through over the chairs, roaring gold fire as pink Catherine wheels spun wildly overheard and snowy white Piglets turned lazy loops. Percy let out an unbridled laugh as the air was completely filled with Whiz-Bangs. Yanking the miniature flying broomsticks out of his pockets, Percy tossed them into the air to fly around and accost everyone who had thrown themselves out of the way of the fireworks.

He watched Bill and Ginny leap onto the stage. Ginny pulled the black drapery off Fred's coffin and then threw over a new shroud of crimson and gold, embroidered with the Gryffindor lion. Bill swept the picture of Fred looking solemn off its stand and replaced it with a moving picture of him where he popped a red chew in his mouth, threw back his head and breathed fire. Percy heard ripples of laughter from some of the crowd.

Finally, as the funeral-goers were beginning to calm down and enjoy the show, the Skywriter went off. There was a ground-shaking explosion as it erupted, sending fifty-foot streams of sparks into the air and then spelled out, in little pops of golden sparks:

_KEEP ON JOKING, FRED_

It didn't take long for the crowd, fueled by the fireworks and the candy and drinks to begin happily sharing stories of Fred and his mischievous antics, and how much he would have enjoyed this.

Soon everyone, even George, was laughing and joining in. They all raised their drinks in one final toast.

"To Fred!"


	33. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me. _

_Rated T for language_

Epilogue 

Percy had seriously considered quitting the Ministry forever.

The Ministry, which had been the source of his estrangement with his family and that he'd completely lost faith in over the years.

Audrey had told him of the place she used to work, an Archive for old magical history and documents. Percy had always loved history and deciphering ancient languages; working at the Archive seemed like something he'd enjoy for the rest of his life. And there would be no more politics involved, no more long trails of parchment full of laws and regulations, no more reports to write and terrible, useless rules to enforce.

Percy had written out his resignation, and all that was needed was his signature.

But in the end, Percy had taken that resignation, folded it into eight identical squares, carefully tore it along the lines and placed the pieces in the fire.

He reported directly to the Ministry, asking what they needed him to do.

Because now that Kingsley Shacklebolt was Minister and the corruption built into the system was being slowly undone, maybe Percy would finally be able to do what he had truly joined the Ministry to do: help people.

* * *

Percy had been in charge of the construction the Memorial to Peace, which took the place of the Magic is Might statue in the Atrium. He made sure that every name he had collected of the fallen heroes was engraved onto it, and every name that families and friends had brought to him.

There were the names of wizards and witches of every blood status on the memorial, as well as the names of deceased house-elves, goblins, centaurs and any other creature which had given its life for equality and freedom.

* * *

Percy and Audrey moved into a flat together in muggle London soon after the end of the war. Audrey had long ago decided to make her move to Britain permanent. She had started working part time at a Magical Creature Reserve at that point, but commuting wasn't really a problem for wizards and witches.

Percy had been nervous about living totally among muggles, but he quickly got over it and grew to love his neighbors, even though he had to put a memory charm on one of them after the man had come over and accidently caught sight of Audrey's latest charge, a newly hatched Common Welsh Green with a broken wing.

* * *

Audrey's first dinner at the Burrow was what Percy called a complete disaster. It had started innocently enough, with all the Weasleys, their respective significant others, and some Order members gathering to eat some of Molly's best cooking and swap stories.

But as soon as dinner was over, Harry had suggested that they go outside in the neighboring fields and play a game of Quidditch by moonlight. Audrey, ecstatic about the idea because apparently she had played Chaser for the team at her school, had dragged Percy out with them, ignoring his complaints that he couldn't even ride a broomstick.

Quite a bit happened between then and the next day, but dawn found them wandering around in some swamp—who knew there was a swamp near Ottery St. Catchpole?—trying to track down their runaway Snitch before a muggle came across it.

But despite all this, Audrey steadfastly maintained that it was one of the greatest nights of her life.

Because in truth, Audrey fit into the Weasley family like she had been there all along.

She'd cook with Molly (although she really wasn't very good at it), explain all sorts of muggle things to Arthur, be the big sister Ginny always wanted, and hung around and joked with boys.

Sometimes Percy worried that they'd like her more than him, and that they'd forget about him. But it was a stupid concern, of course, because Audrey acted as a bridge between him and the rest of the family when he couldn't quite reach them by himself.

All and all, the Weasleys had never been closer.

* * *

They found Ayden's body a few months after the fall of Voldemort.

He had been in a cell in Azkaban, dead by the Avada Kedavra killing curse. It was estimated he had died a week after they had first lost him on Christmas day.

Percy had organized the funeral service himself, making sure that all friends and distant family from America were present, and held Audrey throughout as she cried in his shoulder.

* * *

When Percy finally got the courage up to propose to Audrey, they had been snowed in at a muggle train station just outside of Switzerland.

Percy had been planning the moment carefully for almost three months, putting countless hours and thought into it, laboring over every tiny detail until he thought his head was going to explode, so of course nothing went as it was supposed to.

At least the ring had survived. Percy had designed it himself, nothing too flashy because Audrey didn't like that, and nothing generic because she was too special for that. He had eventually decided on a golden band, with a diamond set into it and—this was the best part—a golden dragon with small jewel insets curling around it.

She'd told him a while back that she'd always wanted to see Switzerland, so as a surprise Percy had taken an extra long holiday and taken her on a big trip.

They'd taken the train, because Percy knew Audrey loved doing so. He hadn't anticipated that while waiting to catch the one for the second leg of their journey, so much snow would fall that they wouldn't be able to go anywhere. And they were in a packed muggle train station, so they couldn't use magic to leave or pass the time.

So they had waited in the station for hours and hours and _hours _and as time passed Percy had counted off the all events he had planned, events that they were missing because of the stupid blizzard. House –drawn carriage ride, walk through the forest, tour of the chocolate factory….

Eventually the snow had stopped falling and the clouds passed on, revealing the sky, choked with stars, and the shining full moon. A lunar eclipse was going on, and everyone gathered around the huge glass window to watch as it slowly turned red.

Right there, watching Audrey as she watched the eclipse he had decided that enough was enough and he had gotten down on one knee, pulled out the ring and asked, heart in his throat.

Audrey had said yes—_of course, yes, you idiot_—and they'd kissed.

Everyone in the station cheered.

* * *

George was best man at Percy's wedding.

Percy had never really had any good male friends, and he would have requested that Lynn do it regardless of her gender, but she had already agreed to be Audrey's maid of honor.

George had been shocked when Percy had first asked him, as they had never gotten along very well, but he had quickly recovered from his surprise and said yes, asking if this meant he got to throw Percy a Bachelor Party.

Percy had said yes, as long as there was no firewhiskey involved.

George had made no promises.

It was a night that all the Weasley brothers and Harry would remember with fondness and groans.

* * *

Audrey had been over a month early in giving birth to Molly. Percy had been away in China on business and hadn't even gotten his mum's message that his wife was in labor until an hour after she had sent it.

Percy was pretty sure he broke the International Statute of Secrecy about six times in getting home, but it had been worth it because he'd made it in more than enough time to see his first daughter born. It had been the greatest moment of his life to date.

He had, with Audrey's permission, named the gurgling little baby after her paternal grandmother because the first Molly Weasley had always believed in him and loved him.

And when Audrey had gotten pregnant the second time, he'd absolutely refused to leave her side as soon as she'd hit month six, because there was no way in hell he was going to miss anything of his child's birth for work again.

* * *

Teddy Lupin had basically been adopted by the Weasley family after the death of his parents, so most of the Weasley family eagerly awaited the reading of Teddy's first letter home from Hogwarts. They'd all cheered as he wrote he was in Gryffindor, and that he'd already made friends from the Express.

They'd all certainly been surprised when he had told them he _wasn't _the only Metamorphmagus at Hogwarts; there was another boy in Hufflepuff named Simon who was, too.

No one quite understood why Percy started laughing.

* * *

Although he had trouble admitting it to anyone, Percy had never had a prouder moment in his life than when he stood, amongst the billowing steam and chaos of Platform 9 and 3/4s with his arm around Audrey, watching as Molly and Lucy waved excitedly at him from the Express as it chugged away into the distance.

* * *

_A/N:__ So this is the end of PTW. It's very sad, I've grown so attached to all the characters. I might be writing a sequel covering the time right after Voldemort's death or maybe a prequel, or extending some of the short things I wrote here. I'd be happy to take suggestions or requests. _


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